These Dreams
by gigga
Summary: While Max and the gang try to solve one of Liz's visions, Tess reenters their lives and they find out who else was involved in Alex's murder. ...just a warning: I'm a fan of Max and Liz and I liked Tess. 1st in my Roswell series.
1. Prologue

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Roswell, it's characters or concept, ect.

**Prologue**

Tess lies in the bed, tossing and turning furiously. She's dreaming, but this is not an ordinary dream; it's a nightmare that seems all too real.

Tess look in horror as Lonnie reaches out with her hand to loosen the platform above Max. She struggles to break free and scream his name but Rath's grip is so tight, she can barley breathe. Tess blacks out, and when she awakes, she finds herself in the underground building the summit was held in. Rath and Lonnie crowd her, their eyes full of rage.

"Tell me where the granilith is," Rath held his hand up in the air. "And maybe we'll let you live."

"You stay away from me you freak!" Tess scrambled up to her feet, attempting to put some distance between her and the other aliens. "Where's Max?"

"Max is dead!" Rath chuckled.

"And you'll be too if you don't tell us what we need to know." Lonnie gave a crocked smile.

"He's not dead!" Tess screamed. She would know if he were dead, she'd feel it. Tess ran, trying to dash out of the room.

Rath walked towards her, and used his powers to levitate her off the ground and pin the petite girl to the wall. Lonnie placed both hands on her temples and stared at Tess, trying to get inside her mind.

"Let me in Tess," she whispered heavily. "Tell me what I need to know."

Tess shook her head and tried to fight Lonnie from entering her mind. Both girls' wills were strong, their minds fighting the other's energy. The force from the two girls was so strong it caused a reaction. The whole room began to shake as a rumbling sound erupted and suddenly a burst of lavender light exploded in the room, streaming from both their heads .The walls began to tremor causing tiny cracks to crawl up while pieces of gravel fell loose around them. The light surged through the room, knocking the three of them to the ground; leaving Lonnie and Rath breathless and Tess unconscious.

"Lonnie," Rath ran to her side. "What the hell happened?"

Lonnie looked up at him, dazed. "I don't know… she was fighting but I think I won." She looked towards the body lying on the floor and gave a cold smile.

"You found out where the granilith was?"

"No," Lonnie paused. "Something better, let's go."

Rath helped Lonnie up and the two of them ran off into the night.

Tess pushed herself up off the ground and just sat there trying to figure out what just happened. She placed her hand on her forehead and squinted from the pain. "What did they do to me?"

Tess suddenly sat up, awaking from the nightmare that had enslaved her. She found herself in unfamiliar surroundings: in clothes, in a bed, in a room that was not her own.

"Where am I and where is Zan?"


	2. Chapter 1: Visions

**Visions**

"How much further till we stop?" Isabel moaned. "This van is beginning to not smell so pleasant."

"Beginning?" Maria rolled her eyes. "It has never smelled pleasant."

"Would you quit your yakking, I'm trying to drive here!" Michael turned around to yell at them.

"Watch the road, Space boy!" Maria shouted.

"Don't you guys ever stop fighting," Isabel shook her head.

"This is getting out of control," Liz was tired of listening to their bickering. "Everyone needs to just…"

"Shut up!" Michael interrupted. "Everyone needs to just shut up and let me drive, we'll be there soon."

"If you'd watch were your going," Maria pointed. "And slow down."

Michael swerved suddenly to make a sharp turn. "You almost made me miss the exit."

"Stop the car!" Max's voice commanded. "I'm driving."

"I can drive Maxwell."

"You all act like children," Isabel pushed her hair out of her face. "It's so irritating."

"This is all irritating." Liz huffed.

Their voices erupt into a sea of comments that became undistinguishable from the next. Their voices resounded through the van, causing the sound to echo as well. Each one, practically yelling to get their point across but hearing no one else. They all kept talking aimlessly except for Kyle who tried to ignore the scene while taking deep breathes. After a few minutes of this, he could no longer stand it.

"Buddha states in the face of adversity…" Kyle began quoting on of his proverbs over the sea of voices.

"Shut up Kyle!" Everyone burst into laughter.

It was much needed. They were all tired and on edge from being cramped inside. Michael followed the winding road and thirty minutes later they arrived in Maywood Park.

"It's on Glen Winding Drive," Max leaned back in the passenger seat, stretching.

"I can't wait to get out of this van." Isabel yawned, and leaned on Kyle's shoulder. He glanced down at her and smiled.

"That's it!" Maria knelled between the seats, pointing. "Make a right."

Michael complied, following the street till he saw the place they'd been looking for. He pulled into the Silver Cloud Inn and parked the van in the first spot he saw. Almost immediately they got out to stretch their legs, happy to be out of the vehicle they'd been confined to.

"Me and Space boy here will go get the rooms." Maria hopped out of the van, leaving Michael to follow.

"Exactly how many rooms are we getting?" Isabel stretched outside. "Cause I'm not sleeping on a couch this time."

"I figured we'd pair up," Max smiled at his new bride.

"I guess that means it'll be me and you," Kyle said nudging Isabel.

"Whateva," She shrugged. "I can't wait to get a shower and a decent night's sleep."

* * *

Michael and Maria stood at the counter, waiting for service. They looked around the reception area to find huge canopay windows, tables with decorative candles and potted plants. It was striking. The tables were polished so brightly, you could see your reflection in them. And the floor, tiled in a southwestern pattern, was a beautiful blend of beige, burnt orange, and a deep brick red.

"This is really nice," Maria said, taking the scene in. "Michael, look at this view."

"Welcome to the Silver Cloud Inn," a full figured woman with curly red hair walked up to the counter. "Can I help you with something?" She spoke with a southern accent.

"We were looking for three adjourning rooms." Michael replied.

"Well we have a deluxe suite with three rooms," the woman paused for a moment to pull out a pamphlet. "It's got a living room area, a kitchenette, and there's a bathroom off of each room." The woman spread out the paper in her hand, revealing the floor plan. "It's two single rooms and one double."

Maria's eyes were wide.

"Did you have a reservation?" the lady asked. "We don't usually take walk-ins."

"Yes, it should be under Dr. Love," Michael smiled.

"That's an interesting name." the woman behind the counter did not look amused. "I think ..."

"Were in a band," Maria blurted out. "They give us alias, trying to keep away crazed fans."

"Managers," Michael shrugged.

"Hmm." She begins typing on the computer. "I don't see anything here."

"Are you sure?" Michael places his hand on the back of the computer, it x-rayed for less than a second.

"Oh, here it is," She smiles. "And how would you like to pay for this?"

"Cash," Michael said as he handed the lady a large wade of money.

"Thank you," The lady was pleasantly surprised. "How many keys did you need?"

"We'll take three," Maria put her hand out to take the keys.

"Here's a map so you can get around and just call if you need anything," She gave a warm smile. "I'm Judy."

"Thank you so much Judy." Maria smiled back at the woman before turning to walk out. As they walked out the door, Maria nudged Michael. "Where did you get the money for this?"

"Isabel," Michael smirked. "She can turn twenties into hundreds."

* * *

Everyone quickly settled into their rooms. It had been days since they'd been out of the van longer than fifteen minutes. It felt like such a long time ago even though they'd barely been on the road for a month. The group settled for about a week in Wyoming when Liz picked up a newspaper…

_Max stepped out of the bathroom, smiling to see his new bride. There was a towel wrapped around his waist, and one draped over his shoulders that he was using to dry his hair. She was sitting in a chair by the window, the sun filtering through the blinds to highlight her chestnut hair. Liz turned back to look at him, as he walked towards her to place a tender kiss on her forehead._

_"Good morning Mrs. Evans," Max stroked her hair._

_"Hey," Liz smiled sleepily. "Is everyone else up?"_

_"I don't think so," he began to walk towards the bathroom again. Max turned the water on and grabbed his toothbrush. "I've been thinking…"_

_"Oh," Liz reached for the newspaper on the table. "About what?"_

_"I was thinking we could go out today," Max began brushing again._

_Suddenly he heard Liz gasp for air. Max ran out of the bathroom to her side as Liz stared blankly, one hand on her chest, the other gripping the newspaper._

_"Liz!" Max placed his hands on the sides of her face. "What's happening?" Max's heart was racing as her felt her body shaking._

_"What the hell is going on?" Michael burst through the door. "Maxwell!"_

_"I don't know." Max yelled, unsure of what to do. "Liz, talk to me."_

_"Max," Liz said breathlessly, her eyes blinking rapidly._

_Max pulled Liz out of her seat, and she collapsed into him. Michael stood still, wondering what exactly had transpired. Max and Liz just held each other tightly while Michael looked on. There was a long beat before anyone spoke._

_"Hey!" Michael's voice cut through the silence. "What the hell just happened?"_

_"I had a vision." Liz picked up the newspaper, opening it, and pointing to a small article. "We have to go here."_

_"To the Silver Cloud Inn?" Max raised his eyebrow, curious at the suggestion._

_"Yes," Liz pointed again. "To Maywood Park in Oregon."_

_"Who's in Oregon?" Michael questioned._

_"People who need our help," her eyes stared into them. "People who are going to die if we don't stop it."_

As Max stepped into the bedroom he and Liz would be sharing and saw the look in her eyes, he knew she'd had yet another vision.

* * *

Tess walks around this strange room she's woken up in. It looks like a young girl's bedroom: there's a dollhouse, baby dolls, and pink knick-knacks everywhere. Tess walks over to a white dresser, it looks old. The paint is chipping but there are pretty pink flowers painted around the outside of the mirror.

She opens the door, creeping down the still hallway. The house smells like fresh cut wood and nutmeg, and the silence is almost deafening. Suddenly she feels a hand grab her shoulder from behind. Tess screams and passes out, still worn from all she'd been through.

"Earl," an older woman with silver hair called down the hall. "We've got a problem."

"What happened to her Aunt Estel?" Earl came from the other end of the hallway.

"I'm afraid I startled her," Estel huffed, almost escaping a laugh. "Get her to the bedroom."

Earl picked up the petite girl who was lying on the floor and carried her back to the bedroom she'd woken up in. He placed her on the bed; leaving her alone in the darkness.

* * *

Kyle walked in the room to find Isabel staring out of the window. _She was so beautiful_, he thought to himself. As he got closer, he noticed her demeanor. She was unlike herself; solemn, quiet, pensive.

"So I brought you some pizza," Kyle said carrying a plate to her.

"Thank you Kyle," Isabel forced a smile.

"Hey." Kyle looked concerned. "What's going on with you, is it Jesse?"

"I guess it's everything." She turned towards him. "Leaving Roswell, my Mom and Dad, leaving Jesse behind…"

"And being out of that cramped van gives you more time to think about it." Kyle sat down beside her.

"It's just," Isabel took a deep breath before continuing. "I'm always going to be alone. We can never let anyone else in, it's too dangerous. Max has got Liz, Michael's got Maria and I- I've got no one."

"You have me." Kyle reached over to hold her hand. "We have each other."

They both turned as they heard the door opening.

"Max has called a meeting," Maria poked her head through the door. "They're in the living room."

The three of them quickly joined Max, Liz and Michael in the living room, where they'd already begun talking.

"So in your vision, you saw a library?" Michael crossed his arms over his chest. "What, do they die from boring books?"

"I'm being serious Michael," Liz stood up. "This vision is different from the last, it's hazy, but I know something's there."

"What exactly did you see Liz?" Isabel leaned against the couch.

"There was a flash of the library, a sign," Liz paused, trying to sort out the jumbled pictures in her mind. "There were people chasing other people and then an explosion."

"Somebody's gonna blow up the library?" Maria squinted. "C'mon, why would someone blow up a library?"

"Look," Liz took a deep breath. "I just know there's something important there."

"Me and Michael will check it out," Max finally spoke. "Liz, try and remember anything else you can, and the rest of you, be ready."

"For what?" Isabel questioned.

Max looked at them all intensely. "For what ever we're up against." He turned back to look at Michael. "Be ready in fifteen." He headed out of the room, followed by Liz. She watched him grab a jacket from the empty closet, and put on his shoes.

"I should go with you and Michael." Liz walked towards him.

"No." Max's tone was firm, but gentle. "If we find anything, I'll let you know."

"You may not know what to find," Liz had a determined look on her face. "We decided to do this together."

"Liz, if anything ever happened to you," Max didn't have to finish.

"You won't let it." Liz touched his face and looked into his eyes.

Max pulled her into his arms, kissing her deep and passionately. She let herself fall into him, escaping into pure bliss before the outside world brought its trials and responsibilities to them. In this moment, it was only the two of them. They were together, and for now, that's all that mattered.

* * *

Max, Liz, and Michael roamed around the library, searching for anything that would point them in the right direction. Liz sat at a booth where there were archives of newspapers, searching for clues to help her with the vision.

"I don't like this Maxwell," Michael whispered to Max. "Have either of you considered this could be a trap, that she's getting the visions from something else?"

"They are real." Liz was still staring at the page. "Haven't I been right before?"

"You even said this was different," Michael paused. "I'm just saying…"

"We will consider all the possibilities but right now," Max lowered his tone. "Right now, we have to go on what we know to be true."

"This is it," Liz said. "This is the building that was burning."

"Do you remember anything else?" Max leaned in to take a closer look.

"Another newspaper with a future date," Liz replied. "We have maybe a week to stop this."

"Why the convention center?" Max questioned.

"The convention center," Michael repeated dully. He had a strange look on his face.

"What is it?" Max turned to look at Michael.

"I know this," Michael looked rapt in thought. "This building is behind the library. Maria and I went out for a little while." He answered before they could ask how he knew.

"You said someone was chasing someone else," Max paused.

"That's what it looked like," Liz replied.

"What if they were running together?" Michael uncrossed his arms. "What if they knew it was going to blow?"

"Because they caused it," Liz said thoughtfully. "We've got to find out the events being held there."

A voice came over the intercom. "The library will be closing in five minutes…"

"We'll check the convention center in the morning," Max spoke over the intercom. "Let's go."

* * *

Tess awoke in the strange room she'd seen before, only this time she heard voices. She slid off the bed and stretched, feeling more rested than the last time she'd arisen in this foreign place. Tess inched out of the bedroom, this time looking on all sides of her. She followed the voices to a living room. If they wanted a fight, she'd give it to them. Tess entered the room, hand up, and prepared for any contention that may arise.

"Well, hello." Estel rose up from the couch.

"Who are you?" Tess stood unmoved. "Where is my son?"

"There's no need to be frightened child," Estel gave a warm smile. "We found you unconscious, near our field. We didn't find anyone else."

"Me and Aunt Estel brought you in the house," the man turned around to look at Tess. "I'm Earl."

"Tess," she lowered her arm but remained skeptical.

"Hi Tess," Estel's face was gentle. "Where are you from?"

"What do you mean?" her voice heightened. "Where are you from?"

"We're from right here in Lubbock." Earl answered.

"Lubbock?" Tess questioned.

"You're in Lubbock, Texas." Estel replied. "How did you get here?"

"I don't know," Tess responded. She was disoriented and the actions that lead her here were still a bit blurry.

"Come and sit down," Estel pulled out a chair from the dining table. "Let me get you something to eat, I made stew." She went to the cabinet and pulled out a bowl to serve the stew. "You sleep a long time." The older woman sat the bowl in front of her guest.

"Thank you," Tess brought her chair closer to the table. "Can I have some Tabasco?"

After eating, Tess spoke with Estel and Earl, and decided she would trust them, at least to stay there for a while. Tess found out from them that she'd been there almost a month. She would go in and out of consciousness but never left the bed. Estel had taken care of her. After Estel went to bed, Tess retired back to the room she'd slept in and began to recall the events that lead her to this place.

Tess remembered arriving in Antar; to a ruined, desolate planet full of corrupted soldiers and rioting people. It was horrible, nothing like she'd imagined it, nothing like it was before.

At first, Kivar did accept Zan as the heir; he planned to mold "The great king's son" in his image. He kept Tess alive as his personal prisoner and little Zan would never know she was his mother. Kivar thought that having Max's son would make his followers accept the new government. It had done the exact opposite. More and more people rebelled, so Kivar decided to have a public execution of the baby heir. A woman, who knew her when she was Ava, helped her escape. Tess fled; bringing her son to the only person she'd ever been able to count on, Max.

She began to think about what it was like to come back, They all hated her, half of them were ready to turn her over to the government. Only one person's decision had surprised her. Tess began to think about her last conversation with Liz, and how she'd told her that Max loved her. She'd never really hated Liz, they both just happened to be in love with the same man. She often felt as if it weren't really her who betrayed Max, like something else was controlling her. Her mind wandered back to Liz dropping her off.

Tess entered the base fiercely, destroying anyone and anything she felt to be a threat to her baby. Tess created a force field around the military base and blew it up with her mind. She'd been injured from the crash, grazed by bullets, and drained by the power it took to detonate the building. She knew she had to get as far away as possible from Roswell as she could, at least for a little while. Tess hitched-hiked to the Texas border, and walked as far as she could, trying to stay out of sight, until she finally collapsed from exhaustion.

Tess stood up and walked over to the window, looking up at the stars. She wondered how her son was. She walked over to the wooden stool, which had a phone sitting on top of it. Tess picked up the receiver and began to dial Max's number. She had a panging feeling that Zan was in danger.

A recorded message began to play through the phone. "Were sorry, but you've reached a number that's been disconnected…"

Tess quickly hung up and dialed a different number. This time someone answered.

"Hello," a man's voice said. "Hello! Is anyone there?"

"Valenti?" Tess questioned.

"Yes," he answered curiously. "Who is this?"

"It's Tess," she spoke quickly. "Why is Max's phone disconnected?"

"I thought you died." Valenti whispered. "Max… everyone is gone."

"What?" Tess gripped the receiver tightly. "What do you mean, gone?"

"Not dead," Valenti sensed her concern. "They had to leave, people were coming for them."

"And Zan?" Tess inquired.

"Max wanted him to be safe…" Valenti trailed off. "He wanted him to live a normal life."

"He gave him up," a tear rolled down her cheek. "To who? Where?"

"I don't know," his tone was somber. He felt sorry for her but he couldn't risk being involved again. "I've done all that I can. I…I can't help you anymore."

"I understand. Thank you," she meant for everything.

"Goodbye."

Tess hung up the phone and slid to the floor sobbing in her hands. She had lost everyone: Nacedo, Kyle, Valenti, Max, and now Zan. She'd never felt so desolate. She had fought too hard to protect him and he needed her now. Tess pulled herself together, wiping the tears from her face she stood up, determined not to let this beat her.

"I will find my son," she said to herself. "I have to contact Max. He's the only one who can help me find Zan."

Being on Antar taught Tess more about her powers, and what she was capable of; what they all were capable of and the deep connections they shared. She stood completely still, hands slightly elevated at her sides, and closing her lids lightly, she began to concentrate on linking to Max….

Max stirred in his sleep. He was dreaming of Roswell, before things were complicated. Suddenly, everyone disappeared and he was in the dessert, where the pod chamber had been located. It felt as if he'd woken up in his own dream. Max looked around, seeing a figuring heading towards him. At first the image was hazy but it became clearer and clearer as it came closer.

"Tess," Max was confused to see her.

"Max," she stood directly in front of him. "Where is Zan?"

"This isn't real." He shook his head. "How are you here?"

"I've come for my son," Tess almost appeared to be floating. "Max, it's me." She sensed the concern on his face but was unable to read if her statement was reassuring to him or not.

"How is this possible?" Max was mystified_. How could she be standing in front of him? Was this only a dream?_

"We're connected." She held her hand up to cup his face but he backed away.

"Zan is safe," his words were quick. "He deserved to live a normal life, away from all of this, away from us."

"Did she make you do this?" Tess was becoming angry. "After what I told her!"

"Told who? Liz!" Max's voice was raised. "I did it to keep him safe."

"Fine Max," Tess huffed. She did not have time to argue with him. "Who is he with?"

"I don't know." His answer was somber.

"What do you mean?" Tess started to get upset again.

"I don't know!" Max yelled, and then became calmer. He hated not knowing where he son was but he knew it was for Zan's safety. "I had to make sure I stayed away. I'm a marked man."

"We have to find him," Tess pleaded. "He's in danger Max."

"How do you know that?" His eyes grew wide.

"I just do, I know it in my bones." Tess stared into him. "I can't hold on much longer." She could feel her powers becoming weak. "Find him, Max."

"Wait!" Max watched her body become transparent.

"I will find you again."

"Tess," Max reached out to grab her but she dissipated into the wind.

Suddenly Max's eyes popped open. He was awake now but he couldn't shake this unsettling feeling that his dream had been real. He climbed out of bed, careful not to disturb Liz, and crept out of the room. A shadowy figure on the balcony caught his eye, but when he got closer, he realized it was only Michael.

"Can't sleep?" Max came through the sliding glass door.

"You either?" Michael stood with his arms crossed. "Maxwell, what is it?"

"I think she's alive." Max leaned against the rail.

"Who?" Michael was confused.

"Tess."


	3. Chapter 2: Searching

A/N: Sorry it has taken so long to update for those of you who are reading this. Please review... it's always nice to have feed back. _Italics are internal thoughts or dreams._

**Searching**

Liz stretched across the bed, slowly awakening from her slumber. She reached over to touch Max, but found his side of the bed empty. Liz rubbed her eyes as she drowsily sat up to look around the dark room.

"Max," she called, hoping he was near.

When she heard no response, she slid out of bed and exited the bedroom, walking clumsily down the hall. She peeked around the corner to see Max and Michael through the sliding glass door of the patio. Things looked intense between them and Liz felt she'd better see what was going on.

"You wanna run that past me again Maximillion," Michael stared at his friend. "Cause I'm not sure I heard you right the first time."

"I said…"

"Hey," Liz interrupted, stepping onto the patio. "I woke up and you weren't there. Is everything okay?" She shot a worried glance between the two of them.

"Yeah," Max nodded. "We were just talking about your vision, right Michael?" He looked to his friend for help.

"Right," Michael squinted at him from behind Liz. "Coming up with a plan."

"Great," She turned towards Michael. "Let's hear it."

"There's nothing concrete yet," Max answered for him. "We can discuss this tomorrow, I think we could all use some sleep."

"I was thinking the same thing." Michael gestured toward the door. "I'm going to check on Maria."

Liz waited until Michael left before saying anything. "You weren't really talking about my vision, were you?"

"Michael just wanted to talk." He cupped her face, gazing at her. He hated lying to her but he had to make sure it was real before he alarmed Liz. "Let's go inside."

"To sleep?" she asked playfully, pulling at his shirt.

"I hope not," Max smiled at Liz and took her hand, leading her back to bed.

* * *

Michael retrieved the OJ from the fridge and began drinking right from the carton. He struggled to wrap his mind around Max's words.

_I think she's alive…Tess._

He thought back to the day they'd found out Tess killed Alex; that she had betrayed them, and was leading Max and Isabel into Kivar's hands. His mind raced .

_She died blowing up the military base. How could she possibly be alive? Max had to be mistaken. Tess had to be dead!  
_  
He put the almost empty carton back in the fridge, deciding he'd worry about this tomorrow. Michael crept to his room, and closed the door behind him, careful not to make a sound. He pulled back the covers and slid into bed silently.

"What's wrong?" Maria spoke suddenly.

"I didn't know you were awake," Michael sat up. "Did I wake you?"

"I was waiting for you to come back." Maria rolled to her side, facing him. "What happened?"

"Nothing," Michael paused. "It's just Max, he was thinking about Zan."

"He hasn't really mentioned him much since he gave him up." She propped herself up on her elbow.

"What can he say?" Michael shrugged nonchalantly.

"Are you sure that's all?" Maria looked at him deeply.

"Yes Maria," He bent down to kiss her on the forehead. "It'll be fine in the morning." He hopped he was telling her the truth.

Michael slid down into the covers. Maria laid her head on his chest, clutching her arms around him. She knew it wasn't the whole story, but she accepted the explanation. Maria was too tired to pry and figured she'd get it out of him tomorrow anyway. Michael wrapped his arms around her, each holding each other tightly until they fell asleep.

* * *

Tess sat by the window and looked out into the darkness. She sensed her son needed her, but how could she convince Max to help her. She opened the window and hopped out, walking the vast field that was painted before her. The stars spread through the heavens, their silver lights twinkling above her; but she no longer looked for home in the night sky. She no longer had one.

Tess came upon a stream and bent down to run her hand back and forth through the cool water. She looked around at the dark sky and this field, the scene becoming strangely familiar to Tess. She felt as if she'd been in a place like this before. Tess concentrated, trying to remember and suddenly she felt a sharp pain between her eyes. Tess fell onto the ground and began to have a flood of visions. Lonnie, Rath, Ava, Alex, Herself. There were all in a shack of some sorts, together, in an open field like the one she lay in now.

_"What's he doing here?" Ava questioned, pointing to the young man tied up in the corner. "I thought we only needed her."_

_"Oppie here is smart," Loni replied. "We need him to decode the book."_

_"I'm not helping you with anything!" Alex yelled, tugging at the ropes that bound him to a chair. He looked to his friend, lying on the floor. "Tess! Wake up!" Alex turned back to his captors after he saw no movement. "What have you done to her?"_

_"You're gonna figure out that book," Rath bent down in front of Alex. "Or we're gonna figure out you."He slammed his fist into his hand._

_"Fix his mind!" Loni barked. "Alex here is going on a little trip."_

_"I don't want to do this, please." Ava's eyes filled with water but she wouldn't cry. "I don't want to be part of this."_

_"Oh but you are," Rath wrapped his arm around her forcefully. "Unless you wanna split like Zan did."_

_"You know I'll find you." Loni smiled crookedly, stroking the smaller girl's cheek. "I found you this time, I'll find you again." She shoved Ava's head to the side._

_"You can be free," Rath looked down at her, "after you do your part in this."_

_"And you'll leave me alone?" Ava looked between the two of them._

_"Yeah, fine." Rath released his grip._

_"What about her?" Ava pointed at Tess._

_"She won't remember any of this when we get through with her." Loni leaned over the blonde lying on the floor. "Who's the queen now?"_

Tess came out of her vision and pushed herself from the ground. She tried to make sense of this memory flash.

_Had Loni and Rath sent Alex to look for the book? Why then do I remember sending him?_

Tess rubbed her head; it was still pounding from the intense pang she felt before she fell to the ground. Her mind was jumbled with thoughts of Zan, Max, and the other aliens. She ran back up to the house to gather her strength, and rest for the journey ahead. She had to find her son. She had to find out the truth. Tess decided in that instant, she was going back…

* * *

Back in Oregon, the six of them sat in the living room bouncing ideas of one another, trying to figure out what Liz was seeing.

"Has anybody even considered the possibility that we're being set up?" Isabel finally spoke. "You did say this vision was different than the others."

"I really don't think that it is," Liz replied.

"But what if she's right," Maria leaned against the couch.

"Who else could be sending the visions?" Kyle questioned.

"Just a wild guess here but maybe an alien," Maria shrugged.

"They could be setting up a trap." Isabel put her hand on her forehead, pushing her hair back. "The skins, or whoever, and we could be just walking into it."

"The skins are dead! Te…" Max stopped himself. "They're dead okay."

"Nicholas came back when you went to the summit," Isabel continued. "Who says there aren't more of them out there, just waiting for us?"

"This isn't getting us anywhere," Max looked around the room at all the anxious faces. "We all have to be cautious but I think we should find out where this vision leads."

"Max is right," Michael replied. "We'll go check the convention center, see what we can find out."

"Max is right?" Isabel scoffed. "That's always interesting coming from your mouth Michael."

Max shot her a glance. "So Michael and I will check it out," His words ended the meeting. Max walked out to the balcony as everyone else dispersed and went along with their morning routines. He looked out into the sky, thinking of his son. He heard the door open from behind him. "Thanks for backing me up in there. I…" Max stopped mid-sentence as he turned around. "Is!"

"Expecting someone else?" Isabel peered at him. "Max, what's going on?"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean you and Michael never agree on anything," Isabel stepped closer to him, putting her hand on the railing. "Never about anything that has so many holes in it. Now what is going on?"

"You don't have to worry." Max began to change the subject. "But I am worried about you."

"You're not getting out of this that easy." She rolled her eyes.

"Seriously," Max looked at her thoughtfully. "I've never known you to be so paranoid."

"Do you remember what happened the last time we walked into a trap?" Isabel raised her voice, frustrated. "You died Max!"

"I came back Is," Max half-smiled, trying to reassure her.

"What if it's not so easy this time?" Isabel was worried. "You're my brother, my home."

"Nothing's going to happen to any of us, I promise." Max embraced his sister tightly. "Everything's going to be okay."

"Maximillion," Michael called from the sliding glass door. "We have to go."

"Michael," Isabel released her brother, turning to look at her friend solemnly. "Be careful."

"Don't worry." Michael smiled at her before turning to leave.

Max gave Isabel a quick glance before following behind Michael. He hurriedly caught up to him, following Michael to a parking lot and a new black jeep.

"Where did you get this from?" Max raised his eyebrow.

"I borrowed it," Michael tossed the keys at him.

"From who?" Max questioned.

"Maxwell, we'll return it later." Michael hopped in. "Don't worry; it was silver when I borrowed it."

Not feeling up to arguing with Michael and sick of the van himself, Max caved, shaking his head and getting in the driver's seat. They sat in silence for most of the ride.

"Do you think Isabel could be right," Max suddenly blurted out, "about the visions?"

"Maybe, who are you thinking?" Michael paused, already knowing the answer. "She's dead Maxwell."

"I'm not so sure she is Michael." Max pulled the jeep into the Convention Center parking lot. "That dream, it was so real."

"But it was a dream." Michael wasn't sure if he was trying to convince Max or himself.

"What if it wasn't?" Max parked the jeep. "She said that my son is in danger."

"How would she know that?" Michael questioned. "Say she is alive, what, now she's got mother's intuition?"

"She loves Zan." Max's statement shocked him self.

"She loved you too," Michael replied, "and look how that turned out." It was harsh, but he couldn't let Max forget who they were dealing with.

Michael's words stunned him for a moment. He didn't want to admit it, but it hurt. "I just want to make sure that my son is safe," he said after a long beat.

"Is that what this is really about?" Michael asked. "Or is this about Tess?'

"This is about my son!" Max exited the jeep. "This is not about her."

Michael got out after him.

"If there's even a chance that my son is in danger, I have to find him." Max's tone was softer than before. "I gave him up to keep him safe, to spare him everything we've gone through. What if that was the wrong decision? What if I just made it easier for our enemies, my enemies, to find him? I have to make sure he's okay. If you don't want to be involved, that's fine but I'm going to do this."

"Where do we start?" Michael conceded.

"Right after we find out what's going on with the Convention Center."

* * *

Maria sat in her room strumming her guitar. Michael brought it for her when they were in Fremont, shortly before they had to leave. She hummed along to the chords, playing a melancholy tune. Maria missed her mother and surprising to her, she missed being stuck in Roswell.

"I miss it too," Liz stepped into the doorway.

"Did you ever think I would?" Maria laughed. "I couldn't wait to get out of there and now…"

"Do you regret it," Liz sat down next to her best friend, "leaving with us?"

"No." Maria smiled slightly. "I just wish we didn't have to run."

"Me too, sometimes…" Liz replied. "But then I think of all the people we can help, and that makes it okay for me."

"And at least I have Michael." Maria grinned.

"You have me too," Liz replied, acting offended.

"That's not what I mean." Maria finally laid her guitar down. "You have Max, I have Michael, but Isabel and Kyle… they don't have anyone."

"It was so hard for her to leave Jesse behind." Liz shook her head. "And how is Kyle ever going to meet someone? I can't imagine being without Max."

"I can't imagine not arguing with Michael." She laughed.

"Is everything okay between you two now?" Liz asked, concern washing over her face.

"What do you mean?" Maria was confused.

"Max told me Maria," She paused, "about you and Michael fighting last night. He was so upset; he came to talk to Max."

"What!" Maria raised her eyebrows. "Me and Michael were not fighting, at least not last night."

"But Max said…" Liz trailed off, sitting pensively.

"Michael said Max was upset about baby Zan," Maria interrupted before Liz could finish her thought. "I can't believe they both lied to us."

"What could be going on?" Liz stood up. "We promised to be honest with each other, always. Why would he lie to me?"

"Do not say a word to Max." Maria stood in front of her. "You and I are going to figure out the truth here."

"Maria," Liz sighed deeply. "I don't know."

"Liz, it's me." Maria was being her animated self. "Have I ever steered you wrong? Wait… don't answer that."

Liz looked at her best friend, worried.

* * *

Tess poured the OJ in a glass. She retrieved the Tabasco sauce out of the cabinet, dashing in an ample amount. She drank half the glass quickly.

"Tabasco in orange juice?" Estel said coming from behind her. "That's a strange mix."

"It's my little quirk," Tess shrugged. "It's kind of a family thing."

"You're leaving?" Estel stated, more than asked the question. "Are you going to find your son?" Tess had told her about Zan, leaving out the extra terrestrial details.

"Yes," She replied. "He needs me. I have a feeling he's in danger."

"There's nothing like a mother's intuition." Estel replied. "What about his father; does he know that you're coming?"

"Not yet." Tess downed the rest of the spicy liquid. "He's sort-of moved on." She remembered looking down from the granilith as it took off. Max had not wasted any time, he was already holding Liz in his arms as she was leaving, pregnant with his child. She tried to block the memory from her mind. "He actually moved on a while ago."

"I see." Estel smiled at her, seeing the pain in the young girl's eyes. "You remind me so much of my daughter Emma."

"Really?" Tess leaned against the counter.

"She was beautiful, a free spirit like I can tell you are." Estel shook her head. "But she always had this sadness about her, and I think that got her into a lot of trouble."

"What happened to her?" Tess was genuinely curious.

"She passed on." Estel held back tears. The thought that her daughter was gone always made her want to cry. "There was an accident."

"I'm so sorry." Tess was a little surprised that she meant it. The last year and a half had hardened her and she seldom allowed herself to give in to human emotions, at least she tried not to.

"Sometimes when you feel you don't belong, you do things to make sure you won't." She placed her hand atop of Tess'. "Be careful."

"I will." Tess started to feel uncomfortable.

"I'll get you some clean clothes before you leave," Estel patted her hand before turning to walk away.

After Tess took a shower, she put on the clothes that Estel had given her. She also gave her a bag with a couple more outfits in it and money for a bus ticket. Estel told her if she ever needed anything, she could always return. Tess was moved by the sentiment, but knew she wouldn't be back. Earl dropped her off at the bus station where she bought a one way ticket to Roswell, New Mexico.

Tess looked out of the window of the bus, thinking about what it meant going back. _Will I still have people looking for me? Are they after my son?_ Her mind filled with memories of the only place that semi felt like home to her; of the people who had meant so much. It still was hard for her to believe she'd betrayed them. She shook her head, blocking away this flood of thoughts, choosing instead to ball up in her seat, and fall asleep. Deep in slumber, Tess began to hear voices reverberating.

_At first they were distant, but they soon became crystal clear. The sky rumbled, as if to open up and swallow the Earth whole, while rain pounded on the outside of the roof. She felt disoriented, as if she'd been put in a trance of sorts. Tess couldn't move, yet she heard everything around her._

_"Did you do it?" Loni sat in a chair, slouched back._

_"Yeah," Ava replied, her eyes full of fear. "He thinks he's on his way to Sweden tomorrow."_

_"Did anyone see you?" Rath grabbed her arm, jerking the petite girl._

_"No." Ava shook her head fiercely. "No one saw me and if they had, I looked like Tess."_

_"Everything has to be done perfectly," Loni smiled crookedly. "First we get the book, then the granilith, and then we go home."_

_"And you're sure Alex can decode it?" Rath let go of Ava. "I mean, he's human. What does he know?"_

_"He's like a super nerd." Loni laughed. "Nicholas said Alex was the one."_

_"Hey," Rath pointed at Tess' lying body. "Is that retard moving?"_

_"Don't worry." Loni knelled down beside Tess. "She won't remember a thing." Loni placed her hand on the unconscious girl's forehead._

Tess awoke gasping for air, nearly falling out of her seat. She felt a sharp pain in between her eyes as they stung with tears.

"Are you alright?" A young lady across from her asked.

"I'm fine," Tess adjusted her self in the seat, "just fine."

* * *

Max searched the filing cabinet in the supervisor's office, looking for clues of anything that could be related to Liz's vision. He looked through the open cabinets one by one, finding nothing suspicious. Max had all but given up when he spotted a small locked cabinet on the side of the desk, away from the others.

Max put his hand over the lock, releasing the drawer with his powers. He opened the first drawer and scanned through the folders. In the very back of the cabinet, he saw a rolled up piece of paper. Max retrieved the document and spread it across the desk, using different objects in the office to anchor the corners.

_It's a blue print. _He quickly rolled it up and shoved it into his jacket, hoping it would aid them in their quest. Max relocked the drawers before retreating from the room and joining Michael.

"Did you find anything?" Michael asked as he peered around the corner, making sure it was safe.

"Maybe," Max replied. "We should get back to the others."

Max and Michael quickly made their way out of the Convention Center and headed back to the Silver Cloud Inn. Within a few minutes they were back in the hotel room and Max begun explaining why he took the blueprints.

"Look at the floor plan." Max was leaning across the table. "There's something underneath the Convention Center."

"Maybe it's just a basement," Kyle shrugged. "It could be an old fallout shelter or a storage unit."

"I feel like we're just drawing straws here." Maria pulled her hair behind her ears. "None of this makes any sense. Who blows up libraries? Who blows up Convention Centers?"

"No one," Isabel huffed. "We just need to stay away from the whole thing."

"And just ignore the vision?" Liz questioned. "We can't just walk away from this."

"Why not?" Michael paused as all eyes focused on him. "If Isabel is right and this is a set up…"

"Because that's not what we do." Max replied. "We decided we'd use our gifts to help people. Liz is right, we can't just walk away. I know this is a stretch but we have to explore every avenue."

"We're running out of time." Liz felt genuinely concerned for the people in her vision. "We are their only hope."

"There's a big convention coming up." Michael leaned forward on the couch. "It's a sci-fi convention, maybe it happens then."

"A sci-fi convention," Maria almost laughs. "When is it?"

"Ten days from now,' Michael answered.

"I'll go there tomorrow," Liz replied, standing up. "Maybe I'll get a vision from something."

"Okay." Max agreed. "Michael, you and Kyle go with her. Isabel and Maria, I'll need you two to see what you can dig up on these blue prints."

"What are you going to do?" Isabel questioned, still worried about her brother.

"I'm going to check out a few things on my own," Max said vaguely. "See what else I can find."

"I take it this meeting's adjourned," Maria said getting up. "So we can go?"

Max nodded, and everyone else began to get up, filtering out of the common room.

"Michael," Max turned around. "We need to go over a few things."

"What are you guys not telling us?" Maria whispered, grabbing Michael's arm. "What else is going on? "

"Maria," Michael looked down at her. "Not now."

"When then?" She looked up at him with doe eyes. She was more concerned than upset.

"After I talk to Max," He kissed her on her forehead lovingly. "Everything's going to be okay."

"I liked it better when you didn't say things like that," Maria let go of him, "and meant it."

Michael looked at her deeply, and then turned to meet Max, who was already standing outside. The two of them walked the grounds.

"Maria knows something's up," Michael spoke frankly. "I told her you were upset about being away from Zan but she knows. She always knows when I'm not telling her something."

"I told Liz you and Maria had another fight." Max stopped. "I hate lying to her but I can't make her worry if I don't know for sure." He exhaled deeply. "Liz is a wonderful person. She would never wish death on anyone but she was relieved to know that Tess was out for our lives for good. I can't… I won't worry her if I don't have to."

"You're not going to try a contact Tess are you?" Michael was worried. "Maxwell, are you crazy? She's dangerous, she betrayed us. We can find your son without her."

"I know Michael," Max replied. "I'm going to contact Valenti."

"What's Valenti got to do with this?" Michael questioned.

"When she crashed, where's the first place she went?" Max's question was rhetorical. "If she's alive, she'll go there again."

"And if she is alive," Michael paused, letting his own words sink in. "That still doesn't mean you can trust her. I say we let her stay dead Maxwell. Where's she been all this time?"

"I don't know." Max shook his head. "Let's hope this was all just a dream."

* * *

The bus pulled into the parking lot of the bus station, just as the sun was setting. Tess grabbed her bag and quickly exited, her eyes scanning everywhere for the premise of danger. _No dogs, no armed forces, no men in black, _she thought to her self, finding the last one comical. She stretched her arms towards the sky, taking the beautiful view of the sunset in. Tess took a deep breath, smelling the dry air and the scent of yucca flowers on the warm breeze.

She began to walk, not knowing where she was going to end up. When she finally stopped, she found her self in front of Valenti's house. Tess stared at the place that was once her home; she longed for the familiarity of it but knew she would not be welcome there. Valenti said he could no longer help her, and she understood his words. He had been like a father to her and she had betrayed his trust. Tess let one tear fall down her cheek before she turned away from the place she'd once known, and continued walking.

Tess could only think of one other place to go, The Evan's house. She wondered what Max told his parents about her; that she'd betrayed him. Taking her chances, she walked to the back of the house.

"Mr. and Mrs. Evans," Tess called by the back porch. "Diane! Phillip!"

Figuring no one was home, Tess walked up to the back door, unlocking it with her powers. She slid open the door cautiously and began to enter when she heard a rustling behind her.

"Freeze!" yelled a thin man, dressed in a brown police uniform.

Tess spun around to see the barrel of a gun pointed directly at her.


	4. Chapter 3: Secrets Revealed

**A/N: **Sorry it took so long to update,I left it at work so I couldn't do it over the weekend. Thanks for all the reviews... it really helps :)

**Secrets Revealed**

Michael walked in the bedroom to find Maria sitting in a chair waiting for him. Her arms were crossed over her chest, her lips protruding, as her eyes glared at him.

"You look sexy when you're mad," Michael laughed.

"Michael," her eye's practically stared through him. She was not amused.

"What did I do this time?" Michael sat on the bed facing her.

"You lied to me." Maria adjusted herself to look at him. "What are you and Max hiding?"

"He's just worried…"

"Don't give me that again," Maria huffed. "There is something else going on, Michael. This is not just about Zan."

"No it's not," Michael scratched his eyebrow. "But it's something Max is going through."

"Then why did he lie to Liz?" Maria questioned.

"He didn't want to bother her with his crap, you know Max." Michael leaned forward. "You have nothing to worry about." He hoped he was telling her the truth.

"But Michael," She sighed.

"Maria," Michael cut her off. "Max is going to tell Liz and they'll work it out. Okay?"

"Okay?" Maria repeated; making sure he knew this discussion was far from over.

"Hey," Isabel knocked, but came in before either of them had a chance to answer. "Can I borrow him?"

"Sure, whatever." Maria got up to leave. "But this better not be about the secret."

"What secret?" Isabel leaned against the dresser.

"There is no secret, right Maria?" Michael looked at her for support but she turned and walked out the door. He turned back to Isabel. "She's just being Maria."

"Uh-huh," Isabel replied. "Cut the crap Michael, what's going on? What are you and Max hiding… from me?"

"Max is just going through some stuff." Michael shrugged, "Missing Roswell, the whole Zan thing."

"It's been hard on all of us," Isabel shook her head, somewhat offended. "We all left home. I lost my husband."

"He lost a kid he was searching for, for a year. His kid," Michael stood up. "Now I don't have a kid but I'm guessing it's a little different."

"Pretty good Michael," Isabel put on a fake smile. "I almost bought that. Nice try though."

"Isabel," Michael looked away from her. "You wanna know what's going on with Max, talk to Max."

"Oh my god, what is it?" Isabel looked him straight in the eyes. "Why can't you just tell me?" Before it had been more curiosity, now she was actually worried.

"There's no reason to get everyone else all worked up." Michael walked towards the door, opening it wider. "Let us handle it."

"Handle what?" Isabel was getting angry. "Is this some kind of sexist thing?"

"We haven't told Kyle," Michael tried to be funny.

"Michael," Isabel held his arm as he tried to walk away. "It's me."

He looked at the girl he'd know his whole life. He trusted her. "You can not say anything until we find out if it's true or not." Michael closed the door, locking it. "Promise?"

"I promise," Isabel leaned in closer so he could whisper it to her.

"Max is very upset because he had a dream about…" Michael paused, unsure if he was doing the right thing.

"What, What is it?" Isabel was becoming anxious.

"Another woman," Michael whispered.

"That's it!" Isabel stepped back from Michael. "That's what you two are so hush-hush about?"

"He doesn't want to Liz to know," Michael shrugged. "You know how he is." _So it's a partial truth._

"I can't believe you Michael." Isabel opened the door to walk out. "That's it!" She slammed it shut behind her.

"What happened?" Maria was walking up the hall.

"Michael told me Max's little secret," Isabel huffed.

"Well what is it?" Maria couldn't believe Isabel had gotten it out of Michael.

"Max had a dream about another woman." Isabel shook her head, annoyed. "He's all freaked out about telling Liz. Can you believe that?" She continued to walk away from the room.

"No," Maria said to herself. "I don't believe that at all."

* * *

Tess froze as she saw the gun pointed directly at her. She'd seen him before. _He was a deputy when Valenti was the sheriff_._ Hansen_.She read the badge on his uniform. "Is there a problem officer?"

"Yes ma'am," Hansen answered. "We see breaking and entering as a real problem here."

"I'm not breaking and entering." Tess scoffed while putting her hand in her pocket. "I have a key."

"You just take your hand out of your pocket." Hansen stepped back, "Nice and easy now."

"See," Tess removed her hand from her pocket, holding up a key. "Diane gave it to me some time ago. You know, Diane Evans. She lives here." Tess rolled her eyes.

"The Evans have moved." Hansen put his gun in the holster, no longer seeing her as a threat. "You're the girl who used to live with Jim."

"What do you mean they've moved?" Tess questioned, worry spreading through her mind. "When? Where did they go?"

"I'm not sure," Hansen replied. "They've been gone a few weeks now, I guess."

"Thank you," Tess looked around. "Can I go now?"

"Well it seems to have been a misunderstanding so I guess I can let it go." Hansen was now smiling.

"Thanks," Tess shrugged and began to walk away.

"Can I give you a lift somewhere?" Hansen asked. "How long are you here for?"

"Not long," Tess put on a fake smile. _Nosey much? _"I'm just passing through, just thought I'd say hello."

"You have a good evening," Hansen replied before getting back in his car and driving away.

Tess wandered around aimlessly, wondering where she could go. She was hungry, tired and needed to rest. Tess got a couple of scones and a soda from a bakery and then headed to a nearby building that was under construction. She knew she'd be safe there for the night.

* * *

Max walked down the street looking for a payphone to call Valenti. He didn't trust using the phone at the inn just in case Valenti's phone was tapped. He'd waited until the others left the hotel to prevent anyone from tagging along with him. He found a phone a few blocks from the inn and hoped it would be safe enough. He picked up the receiver and began dialing.

"Hello," Valenti answered.

"Valenti?" Max questioned. "It's me."

"Max…" Valenti paused. "Is everything okay, has something happened?"

"We're all fine," Max replied. "He's doing really well, considering." He knew Valenti must be worried about Kyle.

"That's good." Valenti was surprised to hear from him. "Your parents moved. They just wanted to get away from it all."

"I think that should be good for them." Max thought he'd better get to the point, he was just unsure of what to say exactly. "I know it must be a shock, me calling like this."

"Are you sure everything's okay?" Valenti questioned, worried. "Why did you call here? What is happening_?" Did he know about Tess returning from the dead?_

"Do you think it's safe to talk?" Max asked looking around at his own surroundings. They had to be cautious, but he needed to know the truth.

"As safe as it can be," He looked out of the window. "I'm not bugged, if that's what you're asking but I always feel like I'm being watched."

"It's about Tess," Max finally blurted out. "I have reason to believe she didn't die and I thought maybe she would contact you. I know this sounds…"

"She's alive." Valenti interrupted. "She called a couple of nights ago."

"She's alive," Max repeated. "What- what did she want?"

"She was looking for the baby." Valenti replied. "I told her you'd given him up and that I couldn't help."

"Did she say why she was looking for him? Did she say he was in danger?" Max was concerned now. _It hadn't been a dream._

"We didn't speak very long." Valenti replied. "Look, I care about you kids a lot but…" Valenti fell silent.

"I understand." Max knew what this had done to his life. "I may call you to see if she's tried to contact you again, if that's okay?" He wasn't really asking the question.

"Be careful." Valenti cautioned. "Who knows what she's up to?"

"I will," Max said. "Thank you."

"Goodbye," Valenti hung up the phone.

Max hurriedly returned to the inn. He paced in the living room, scrambling for ideas on what to do. He wondered how he'd tell Liz; how he'd tell everyone that she was alive. _Tess was really alive_. Max sat on the couch and tried to concentrate. He had to find out if his son was really in danger, he had to find Tess. Max let his mind blank, except for the thought of contacting her. Max began to take slow, deep breathes as he focused on reaching out to his son's mother.

"Tess," Max whispered heavily. "Where are you?" His mind began to flood with thoughts of how he would tell the others and if he was making a mistake trying to find Tess. "Why can't I do this?" He buried his head in his hands.

* * *

Tess awoke in the tiny room she'd found to sleep in last night. She pushed her self up from the floor, stretching. She longed for the comfy bed and warmth at Estel's house. She decided to go to the adoption agency across town to search for any information on where Zan ended up. Tess began to gather her things when she heard a familiar voice calling to her from the distance.

'_Tess, where are you_?' The voice almost echoed through her.

"Max," Tess looked around the room for him but saw nothing. She could feel him, calling to her from afar. Tess closed her eyes and begun to take shallow breathes, focusing on his energy. Soon she was encompassed in darkness but she could sense him. He was reaching out to her.

"Max," Tess called into the oblivion. "Focus on my voice and then you will see. Concentrate."

"Tess," It took a few minutes for Max to find his way, but he as now standing face to face with Tess in an open space. "What is this place?"

"It's a plane we can kind of project to where we can meet when we're apart," Tess replied. "Our bodies are still in their separate places but our minds are here."

"How is that possible?" Max questioned.

"We are all connected, the four of us." Tess explained. "When I was on Antar I learned more about us and the way we were designed, for lack of a better word; we were supposed to know all this but something went wrong, apparently."

Max took her words in but was unable to completely believe her. She sensed his distrust.

"There are many things I wanted to teach you," Tess paused. "But that's no longer important. Zan is what matters."

"How do you know Zan is in trouble?" Max questioned. "I thought you weren't connected in any way."

"He's still my son Max," Tess snapped. "I meant our lives weren't linked but there is a connection. You felt it when he reached out to you."

"In the lake," Max remembered how he'd almost drowned when he'd felt his son reach out to him. He had since dismissed it when he found out Zan was a human being. "How could he reach out if he's completely human? Another lie Tess?"

"I don't know how it's possible but I know my son." Tess stepped closer to him. "Our son is in danger."

"How can I believe you after what you've done?" Max asked. "You betrayed us all."

"Fine, Max. You're right not to trust me. Is that what you need to hear?" She was getting frustrated with defending herself. _Why can't he let it go? Why can't he see this is not about us, but Zan?_ "I would never hurt my son. I would do anything to keep him safe and I think you know that."

Max did know that. Deep down inside, he knew that Zan was the only thing that really mattered to Tess. If she were right, how could he forgive himself if he let something happen to his son? But how could he believe any of this. She died. Liz had seen it with her own eyes yet here she was, alive.

"How did you survive the explosion?" Max was curious.

"Story time later," Tess replied. "Right now I need to know where Zan is, I can't hold on much longer."

"I don't know," Max shook his head. "I had to give him up to protect him."

"What adoption agency?" Tess was anxious for answers. "Here in Roswell?"

"You're in Roswell?" Max questioned. "What are you doing there?"

"Maxwell…" Michael's voice came from the distance. "What the hell is going on?"

"Max," Liz's voice echoed through. "Can you hear me Max?" She held his face in her hands.

Max looked around and suddenly he couldn't see Tess anymore. He awoke from his translucent state and found himself propped against the couch with two figures hovering over him.

"Tess…" Max said, still disillusioned as to where he was. His eyes blinked furiously as the fuzzy images in front of him became clearer.

"Max," Liz stroked his face. "It's me." She turned to look at her friend standing next to her. "Michael, do something."

"What's wrong with my brother?" Isabel dashed towards them. "Max, not again." She turned back to look between Liz and Michael."What happened?"

"Liz?" Max looked at his wife, now aware of his surroundings. "Isabel. Michael."

Liz and Isabel both hugged him.

"You scared the hell outta me," a look of relief spread across Michael's face. "Where'd you go?"

"And why were you calling for Tess?" Liz was worried by the very mention of her name.

"Tess?" Isabel questioned. "You were calling for Tess?" She shot a glance at her brother and then at Michael. _Tess must be the other woman in the dream. But why would he be dreaming about her?_

Michael looked back at Isabel, almost reading her thoughts.

Max noticed the intense look between the other aliens. "I think we need to call a meeting." He pushed himself off the floor and sat on the couch.

After Michael returned with Kyle and Maria, Max began to tell everyone about his dream, talking to Valenti, and Tess being alive. He told his story quickly, as to avoid any interruptions until he was finished. They all looked at him in shock except for Michael, who the others learned was keeping Max's secret. Max went on, explaining how he was talking to Tess when they came in.

"You knew Tess was alive and you didn't tell me?" Isabel was fuming. "Both of you!" Her eyes were full of rage.

"You lied to me Max." Liz was in disbelief, her words full of hurt.

"I didn't want to make everyone worry if I didn't have to," Max tried to explain. "I had to make sure it was true."

"By contacting her?" Liz questioned.

"She's a murderer Max!" Maria exploded. "She betrayed you; she betrayed all of us!"

"You can not trust her," Liz stepped closer to him, her voice pleading. "You can't believe anything she says. C'mon Max, you know her. She lies all the time."

"And you Michael," Isabel turned her attention towards him. "How could you let my obviously insane brother do something so…?" She took a deep breathe. "I don't even have a word."

"I don't know, maybe stupid, dangerous, dumb…" Maria threw her hands up in the air. "Asinine. I've got plenty of words for this."

"I can't believe this," Isabel's face tensed up.

"I can't believe she's alive," Kyle was taken aback. Part of him was relieved while the other was worried. _What does this mean for all of us?_

"Like I said before, she thinks Zan is in danger." Max blurted out, hoping somehow that would be enough for them. It wasn't.

"And you believe her?" Liz asked, already seeing the answer in his eyes.

"I don't have a choice, it's my son!" Max's voice heightened then became softer. "My son."

"You have a choice," Isabel stated. "How could she possibly know anything, anyway?"

"She says she just feels it," Max replied dryly.

"She just _feels_ it, huh Max?" Liz exaggerated, waving her arms around. "Is that what she told you? Is that really what you're telling me?"

"What are you thinking?" Maria flicked her hand off her forehead. "You know what she did."

"Hey," Michael finally spoke. "None of us have a kid out there who may be in danger."

"If it were your son," Max paused. "Could you just let it go?"

Everyone was silent for a few minutes.

"I'm not asking you guys to trust Tess." Max spoke again. "I don't trust Tess; I'm asking you to trust me."

"You're asking us to believe her Max," Liz replied. "I don't know if that's something I can do." She turned and walked away.

Isabel saw the torment in her brother's eyes. He looked the same way when he told her that Tess was pregnant and the baby couldn't survive on Earth. _Tess has always had a way of tormenting Max and I will not let her get away with it this time. _"We'll figure something out Max," Isabel was calmer now. "For you and for Zan, okay?" _And for Tess_.

"Thanks Is," Max smiled at his sister. "I have to talk to Liz."

"Go," Isabel nodded as Max retreated from the living room in search of Liz.

* * *

Tess didn't find any information in the adoption center about what happened to Zan. She'd searched through the computer records and file cabinets, still she was no closer to finding her son then when she awoke in that strange place.

Tess trudged down the street, distraught over her missing child. She decided to go to the one place that had always felt peaceful to her, the observatory. She was on her way there when she saw a familiar face.

"Hi," a girl about her age walked up. "Tess, right? You went to West Roswell for a little while, didn't you?"

"Yeah," Tess put on a fake smile. _Great, cornered by the prom queen_. "Vicki, how are you?"

"I'm fine," Vicki replied. "So are you moving back or just visiting?"

"I was actually just passing through." Tess was in no mood for small talk. "I thought I'd stop by the Evan's but it seems they've moved."

"Yeah," Vicki nodded. "I guess you hadn't heard."

"Heard what?" Her interest was piqued.

"I think Max and some of his friends got into some trouble." Vicki leaned in closer to Tess. "He made this really weird speech at graduation, and then his friend Michael drove his motorcycle on stage and they drove off."

"Sounds like I missed quite a ceremony." Tess smiled at the thought.

"They disappeared that night along with his sister, Kyle, Liz, and her friend." Vicki took a breathe before continuing her story. "Some people said it had to do with that robbery they were charged for, some say they just ran off for no real reason and others think they were..." Vicki looked around as if someone may be eavesdropping on them. "You know, abducted."

"Hmm," Tess nodded, suppressing the urge to laugh. "Abducted, huh? Do you think that's what happened to Mr. and Mrs. Evans?"

"No," Vicki rolled her eyes. "They moved shortly after their kids disappeared, maybe to New York."

"New York?" Tess repeated. "Why would you say that?"

"Well they took a vacation there for a couple of days right before graduation," Vicki filled her in. "I only know because Tina's parents live next door and they were watching the mail or something. Maybe they were looking for property to move to."

"It's been really nice seeing you again," Tess smiled at her genuinely this time.

"You too," Vicki hugged her. "Don't be a stranger."

Tess grinned happily, finally receiving a clue that could lead her to Zan. It wasn't much to go on but it was a start. She began to head to the airport, carrying the belongings she'd been given by Estel. She picked up an envelope and waved her hand over it, creating a ticket for the next flight. Tess sat outside the terminal, anxiously awaiting the plane.

Going back to New York made her nervous. All the memories that had been clouding her mind scared her, and Tess was not easily frightened. It was as if she had two sets of memories for certain events in her life. Tess knew she killed Alex but somehow felt it was not her fault. _Had Ava really sent Alex to decode the book? _None of this mattered now, she thought, as she tried to forget about her last trip to the Big Apple. Her thoughts drifted to Max and if he'd told the others she was indeed, alive.

* * *

"Liz," Max closed the door behind him. "I…"

"No," Liz could no longer stay calm. "How could you keep something like this from me?"

"I just didn't want you to worry," Max stepped closer to her. "I'm sorry."

"Worry about what Max?" Liz said sarcastically. "About you not telling me that the person who killed one of my best friends is alive and you're meeting her in dreams and lying to me about it. Why would that worry me?"

"I know you're upset," Max's tone was soft.

"Upset? Upset doesn't even cover it. I'm hurt Max." Liz looked at him, her eyes wide. "I trusted you. You promised me that she would pay." She was almost in tears now, her voice softening. "I can't believe you didn't tell me." She tried to hold back the tears that were forming in her eyes.

"You're right, I should've told you Liz and I'm sorry." Max shook his head. "I didn't know if it was real and I didn't want you to have to deal with Tess but now…"

"Now you feel you have to," Liz crossed her arms over her chest. "I can't believe this is happening again. I thought she was out of our lives."

"She will be, for good." Max held her by her arms. "I promised you that Liz. I just have to make sure my son is alright."

"And how do you do that?" Liz breathed deeply. "By working with Tess?"

"After we figure out what's happening with your vision, Michael and I will go to New York." Max replied. "We'll find Zan…"

"No!" Liz shook her head. "We'll all go."

"I know how you feel about her," Max paused briefly. "I won't ask you to do this."

"You're not Max. But you're right, I hate her, I do." Liz shook her head. She never thought she'd ever feel that way about someone. "But this is about your son and I decided a long time ago to help you find him."

"And you did," Max held her hands in his. "This is different."

"No," Liz was much calmer. "You're my husband." _Not hers…_ "We'll do this together."

"Thank you." Max smiled at her.

"For what?" Liz tried to hide her worry.

"For being so understanding," Max squeezed her hands gently. "For always standing beside me."

"Don't nominate me for sainthood just yet," Liz looked serious. "I still want her to pay for what she's done."

"She will," Max embraced a reluctant Liz. "She will."

* * *

"You looked in my eyes and lied to me," Maria was yelling at Michael. "I asked you what was going on, and you give me this story about some stupid dream and another woman."

"Technically I wasn't lying," Michael replied. "It was a dream about another woman, it just happened to be Tess."

"You know how I felt about Alex, he was my best friend. I was devastated when he died," Maria sat on the bed as her eyes begun to swell with tears. "And you didn't tell me."

"Maria," Michael sat beside her. "I didn't think about how this would affect you and I'm sorry."

"She…" Maria stopped mid-sentence. "I really thought this was all over but it isn't. It will never be over, will it?"

"Come here." Michael wrapped his arm around her and kissed her tenderly on the forehead. "I promise if she's lying I'll…"

Maria put her finger over his mouth and curled up against him, sobbing silently as she relived how Alex's life was cut short.


	5. Chapter 4: Finding the Answers

**Finding the Answers**

Liz sat on the bed writing in her journal. She started a new one after she sent her old one to her father. She continued writing even though she could feel someone's eyes looking at her. She finished her thought, closed her book, and looked up.

"Isabel," Liz was taken back. She'd figured it was Max standing in the doorway. "Why didn't you say something?"

"You looked deep in thought," Isabel sat on the bed. "Look, if there's anyone who can talk my brother out of this, it's you."

"He's made his decision," Liz placed her journal on the nightstand, "and I'm going to support it."

"I'm all for standing by your man here Liz but this is crazy." Isabel retorted. "It's Tess."

"I know," Liz looked at her solemnly. "But what if Zan is in trouble, can we just sit back and let it happen? Can we leave it up to her?"

"But Liz …" Isabel let out an exasperated breath.

"We help people and now it's Zan who needs help." Liz was trying her best to accept the situation.

"Says Tess," Isabel scoffed. "I can't believe your okay with this."

"I'm anything but okay Isabel," Liz replied. "She mind warped Kyle, killed Alex and betrayed us all. Believe me, I know who she is."

"And what if it's one of her tricks?" Isabel questioned.

"Then its better if Max doesn't go alone," Liz paused briefly. "We'll be there to make her pay."

"If this is another one of her plots," Isabel's face grew serious. "I'll kill her myself this time."

"I keep thinking the same thing," Liz held up her hands, electricity coursing through them. "Every time I think about what she did and the fact she's alive… it happens again."

"I thought I was pissed," Isabel half smiled. "Well if we're going to do this, we need to figure out how to stop your vision first."

"Did you have an idea?" Liz questioned.

Isabel nodded. "I've never tried anything like this before but I think it could work."

Isabel explained that since she could enter people's minds, that maybe she could enter her vision. Liz was skeptical at first but she knew they were running out of time and had to try something. She reluctantly agreed.

"Give me you hand Liz." Isabel sat directly in front of her in indian style, her hands palm up. "Clear your mind."

"I'm really scared to do this," a look of worry spread across Liz's face.

"Trust me," Isabel held her hands out, "We can do this."

Liz placed her hands in Isabel's.

"Just relax and clear your mind of everything except your vision," Isabel directed.

Liz closed her eyes and began to focus on the visions she'd been receiving. She closed her eyes, taking deep breathes, and remembering what it felt like when she first experienced this omen of hers. Isabel held onto her hands, intent on entering the other girl's mind.

Liz tried to focus on the vision only but other things continued to jumble her mind. Isabel could see nothing. She continued to run into barriers until she was exhausted mentally.

Liz opened her eyes and sighed deeply. "I don't know if I can do this."

"We have to," Isabel opened her eyes and got up from the bed. "We can't worry about this and Tess."

"This, my powers are still new to me." Liz leaned against the headboard.

"You can do this Liz." Isabel reassured her. "You just have to focus. This is new to me too you know."

"And does that scare you, to do something you've never done before?" Liz questioned.

"Of course," Isabel ran her fingers through her hair. "But I believe we can do this if we both concentrate."

Liz sat for a moment, thoughtfully. This was her chance to end what had been eating away at her for weeks. She would take care of this, and then she would take care of Tess.

"Okay, let's try again."

* * *

Tess followed the subway trail to the place she'd been before. She knew the other aliens managed to live there unharmed and figured she'd be safe there as well. Her eyes scanned the underground room; the couch was still there along with what remained from the reject's pods but otherwise it was empty. No cd's, no hockey sticks, and no sign of Loni and Rath. _Good._ She smiled slightly.

She threw her bag on the ground and laid on the couch. Memories of Max flooded her mind and how close they became here. When he stood up to Rath, it was the first time she felt he actually cared about her. _Yeah right Tess, he never really cared about you._ Tess tried to block it, _Him_, out of her mind yet her thoughts remained. She'd told him of the faith she had in him; that she knew he was a good king and had been a great husband. In her heart, she still felt that way; it was the present she had doubts about.

Tess stretched across the sofa, relishing the few moments she could take to rest. She had to gather her strength. Tess rubbed her side, still sore and healing from the injuries she sustained. The broken woman closed her eyes, allowing herself to fall asleep. At first she looked peaceful but then her body began to shift as she started to recall her once forgotten memories.

_"They can't know you've woken up," Ava whispered. "She can't find out you know the truth."_

_Tess looked up at her twin, her eyes pleading. "Ava you can help me, please."_

_The young woman shook her head in fear._

_"Please," Tess' eyes filled with water. "Don't let them do this."_

_"Shh…" Ava put a finger over her mouth. "She'll hear you."_

_"Where is Alex?" Tess questioned._

_"This will all be over soon," Ava tried to force a smile at the girl lying before her. "I'm so sorry but you have no idea what she's capable of. She'll kill us both." She turned to walk away._

_"Ava!" Tess called at her back._

_Ava's hand was barley touching the door knob when it opened in front of her. Loni stepped inside the room, intimidating the girl before her._

_"She woke up," Loni grabbed Ava by the arm, jerking her. "And you weren't going to say anything? Do you think that was smart?" Loni had a way of invoking fear into the girl._

_"I'm… I'm," Ava stuttered, unable to form a complete sentence._

_"I won't let you get away with this," Tess did not let Loni scare her. She concentrated, trying to use her powers to remove her constraints._

_"It won't work," Loni eyes darted to a black device a few feet away from her. "A little gift from that ufo buddy of yours."_

_Tess looked at the device, then back at Loni, her eyes wide._

_"Too bad he didn't know you could concentrate it in a certain area, which means that I can use my powers outside this room and so can she. Let's go." Loni exited the room, pushing Ava out in front of her and then slammed the door shut._

Tess sprung up quickly, realizing nothing was as it seemed. _I didn't kill Alex? I was set up by Loni? But why? _It was an answer she had to find out. Her mind raced with questions now. _Was this just about the granilith or something else? Is the danger my son's in now connected to it?_ Tess wondered if this changed everything, if once Max knew the truth, could they be together again? But how could she get him to believe her; that was a question she hoped she'd have the answer to.

* * *

Liz tried to recall the details of her vision: the people she saw running, the explosion, the fire. Her breathing was labored; eyes closed tightly as she bid the prophecy to replay in the mirror of her mind. She and Isabel sat face to face, both in indian style, concentrating on the task before them. They had been at this for over an hour now. Isabel took a deep breathe and placed her hand on top of Liz's. Her eyes were closed as she willed herself inside of her friend's mind.

Isabel could see shadows of images but nothing was clear. She found herself swallowed by darkness and unable to sense any direction yet she felt she was getting closer. She stretched the arms of her mind out, forcing herself to connect with Liz's vision.

And all at once, she saw it.

At first it was blurry; hazy images of moving as well as stationary figures but within a matter of seconds the scene focused. Isabel suddenly found herself outside of a burning building. There were people scurrying away and others staring full of fascination. She noticed how only one man stood out to her. Isabel felt almost drawn to him.

She headed towards the man, unsure of what she would say but determined to find out if he had the answers she so desperately needed. She wasn't even sure that she could interact with the people in the vision like in her dream walks but she was determined to try anyhow. Just as she was walking behind him, another man joined him.

"We did it Earl!" The second man laughed.

"Yeah we did it alright," his expression was not as happy as his friend's.

"Did what?" Isabel came from behind them.

Earl grabbed her by the arm. "Where did you come from? What did you hear?"

The second man lunged toward Isabel as she pulled out of Earl's grip. She held her arm up, visualizing the second man flying across the grass but nothing happened. She flicked her wrist, again, resulting in nothing.

"Crazy broad," the second man pushed her to the ground.

Isabel feel back, knocking her head.

"Isabel," Liz screamed, unable to hold the connection, she broke out of her translucent state. Her eyes opened to find Isabel lying unconscious on the bed. Liz bent over her, shaking the amazon's limp body. She pushed Isabel's eyelids open but they only revealed the whites of her eyes. _Oh my God, what have we_ _done?_ Liz jumped off the bed in a panic, flinging the door open as it slammed into the wall. "Max!" She was hysterical at this point. "Max hurry, it's Isabel!"

Max and Michael both ran down the hall and to the bedroom as soon as the heard Liz scream. Maria and Kyle followed close behind them. When they arrived, Isabel was passed out on the bed and Liz was hovering over her with a worried look on her face. She was shaking Isabel and calling for her to wake up.

"Liz, what the hell happened?" Michael's tone was accusatory. "Isabel." He kneeled down beside the bed. _Not again._ He glanced up at Max as he walked towards her.

Liz was shaking her head back and forth, tears filling her eyes. "Max, I don't know what happened."

"C'mon Is," Max sat beside his sister, quickly putting his hands on the sides of her head and concentrating on pulling her out of this state.

Liz got up and backed away, wanting to give Max room to heal Isabel. She could feel Maria, Kyle, and Michael staring at her for an explanation but she didn't know what to say.

Max's mind raced with fear. He couldn't lose his sister, she was his best friend. They'd been together from the moment they came out of the pods. He stared intensely at her as his hands begun to glow. Max started to see flashes from different moments in her life.

Taking a deep breath of air in, Isabel suddenly awoke. She looked up at her brother, his hands still encompassing her head. "Max," she smiled up at him, and then looked around the room at all the faces staring at her. "I'm okay." She turned her attention to the shaken young woman leaning against the dresser. "Liz, I know how to stop it."

"You scared the hell out of us." Michael was still kneeling beside her.

Isabel grabbed his hand, squeezing it reassuringly. She sat up and embraced Max after she looked at his still worried face. "It's okay. I was lost in this dark place but I knew you'd find me."

"Are you sure you're alright?" Max sat back, his hands holding her shoulders.

She nodded. "Yes."

"I'm still lost," Maria finally spoke. "What happened here? You know how to stop what?"

"Liz's vision," Isabel replied. "There was a man there. He's the one we need to stop."

"That's not a lot to go on," Kyle said, his eyes still fixated on Isabel.

"His name is Earl. I heard his friend call him that when I was inside of Liz's vision." Isabel smoothed a hand over her hair. "They're the ones who caused the explosion; they can stop it from happening."

"Earl?" Max's eyes squinted slightly.

"Something you wanna share Maxwell?" Michael was now standing with his arms folded over his chest.

"It's something I saw on the desk in that supervisor's office," Max recalled seeing that name amongst some papers on the desk. "It looked like he was suing them."

"…Suing the Convention Center?" Liz questioned. "Why?"

"I'm really not sure." Max wished he paid more attention to the document now. "It looked like a civil case."

"Maybe he lost and now he's found a way to make them pay," Maria was half joking.

"Maybe," Isabel looked resolute. "I'm serious. What if he worked there?"

"That may be reaching a bit?" Kyle raised his eyebrows. "Lots of people lose cases, they don't blow up buildings."

"Well some people do or crystal ball wouldn't keep having a vision of it," Michael replied.

Liz slanted her eyes at him, she hated that he'd nicknamed her crystal ball. "We need to get back into that office."

"So what are we waiting for then?" Isabel stood up as everyone's eyes fixated on her. "The sooner we stop this, the sooner we can find Zan."

"Isabel, Liz, and I will go to the Convention Center tonight and see what else we can find." Max rose from where he was sitting. "You guys find out whatever you can on New York adoption agencies. We need to move on this as fast as we can after we stop the vision."

* * *

Tess trudged along the streets of New York, unsure of where to look for her missing child. She cursed Max for giving him up to strangers, and especially for not even knowing where he was. As she passed women carrying babies or pushing strollers, she stared into every child's face hoping against all odds Zan would just appear.

Tess had just visited the seventh adoption agency on her list, which turned up no information, just as the others had. Disappointed and tired, she sat at a bus stop, holding back the tears that threatened to fill her eyes. _How am I ever going to find him? _ She lifted her head and through blurry eyes she saw a petite woman walking down the street.

The woman was wearing jeans and a brown hooded sweater, but what had really caught Tess' eye was the child she held close to her. Although she could not see what the baby looked liked, her heart told her it was Zan.

Tess rose from the bench, dashing across the street. She did not want to cause a scene in the middle of the street or risk Zan getting hurt so she decided to follow her.

The girl in the brown jacket hurried down the block, her head constantly looking around as if she was hiding from someone. Tess bent her head down and let her hair fall in front of her face. She wasn't sure if the girl was human or alien but either way Tess didn't want her to know she was following her. After a few minutes, the hooded girl came to a huge building that had obviously been closed for a long time. Tess watched as the girl scanned behind her and quickly ducked into a once boarded door.

Tess hurried to catch up, entering the same doorway and climbing the same stairs the girl had. She scanned the area, understanding why the building was closed down. It was a mess. There were shards of glass scattered across a dirty cement floor, broken and abandoned pieces of chairs and tables, and lost clothing spread throughout the room. The walls were pasted with either flyers or teenage graffiti.

As she reached the corner, Tess saw a dim light reflecting out of a doorway at the end of the hall. She crept up, curious on how anyone could live like this with a baby, any baby, let alone hers. She tried to prepare herself for who she may be facing. _Was she a skin? Did she know she was holding the heir to a throne in her arms or was she just a human caught in something she knew nothing about? _

Tess peered at the lady in brown. She held the sleeping child in her arms, rocking the baby back and forth before she laid him in a carriage. She pulled the hoodie off to reveal black shoulder length hair with chucky highlights that were a very pale shade of pink. The dark haired woman pulled off the jacket and tossed it on a crate. Tess' eyes grew wide as the young woman turned around, revealing her face.

Tess came out of the shadows and blasted her mirror image to the ground. "Get away from my baby!"

She lay on the ground for a few moments, her eyes wide with fear as she looked up at the person who knocked her down. "Tess," the words finally came from Ava's mouth.

"I should kill you right now," Tess seethed with rage as she stared down at the girl lying before her. "Where are the others?"

"What others?" Ava questioned. Her body trembled as she tried to rise up.

Tess blasted Ava to the ground again. "Don't play dumb with me Ava. Where are Loni and Rath?"

"I don't know, I swear." Ava looked terrified. She knew that one day this would happen.

Tess scooped the still sleeping child from the crib, laying him on the chair behind her. She glanced back at Ava. "Don't even think about it!" She touched her son's face and whispered, "Its okay now, Mommy's here." Tess turned back to see Ava push herself from the floor.

"You remember now, don't you?" Ava asked softly. "I knew one day you would."

"You killed Alex!" Tess was furious. She'd lost so much because all her friends were convinced she was the one who killed Alex.

"No," Ava shook her head. "This is all Loni."

"You mind warped me into believing I sent Alex to decode the book." Tess could feel her whole body filling with energy. "I lost everything because of the three of you! I lost my life; now tell me why you shouldn't lose yours?"

"Wait," Ava felt the intensity of her blasts and had no doubt Tess could kill her. "You have questions Tess, I know you do and I can give you the answers. I never wanted any of this, it was all Loni. I swear. I'll tell you everything, I swear!"

Tess looked into Ava's eyes. _Maybe she's telling the truth. What_ _difference would it make if I kill her now or after I get my answers?_ "Okay, you've got five minutes."

* * *

Max put his hand over the door unlocking it with his powers. He turned, gesturing behind him to call for Isabel and Liz.

They walked through the dark corridors until they found a door that would lead them out of these narrow hallways and into the actual facility. The girls followed Max up the stairs he traveled before and entered the office quickly and quietly.

Max approached the desk expecting to find the documents but the desk was cleared off. The papers were gone. He slammed his fist on the desk, worried they'd be too late- for the people in the vision and for Zan.

Isabel came up behind him, placing her hand on his shoulder. "They have to be here somewhere." She walked over to one of the cabinets and began searching through it.

Max followed suite, looking through cabinets as well while Liz looked through the drawers in the desk.

"There has to be another office somewhere with a computer in it," Liz scanned the room. "At least one with employee files."

"We should split up," Isabel looked over her shoulder at Liz and Max.

"I don't think that's such a good idea," Max replied. "We should stick together."

"We can cover more ground this way," Isabel began walking towards the door. "Liz and I can find the employee records while you look for the court papers. We can meet you back here in fifteen or twenty minutes."

"We're running out of time Max," Liz said.

"Then I'll go and you two can stay here," Max felt they'd be safer if they stayed in one place.

"You don't know what he looks like Max," Isabel replied. "We stood face to face. I have to go."

"And maybe seeing his face could trigger another vision," Liz looked directly in his eyes. "Trust us, we're trusting you."

He knew what she meant. "Okay," he conceded. "First sign of anything strange…"

"It'll be fine," Isabel opened the door, walking out.

Liz lingered for a moment before turning and following Isabel into the hallway.

Max continued to tear through cabinets, searching for papers that would bring him hope. He searched through file after file, paper after paper with no luck. Max opened every drawer and still nothing.

He paused for a moment, letting his mind drift to his son. _How can I find Zan if I can't even find a piece of paper?_ Just at that moment he caught a glimpse of something white out the corner of his eye. He bent down, noticing it was wedged between the last cabinet and the wall. Max stood back, held his hand up and slid the row of file cabinets over. Max picked up the stapled group of papers, knowing immediately it was what he'd been searching for. He quickly rolled the papers up, shoving them into his pocket before returning the cabinets and leaving the office in search of Liz and Isabel.

* * *

"After I left Roswell, I went to California." Ava spoke rapidly, trying to include every detail. "I always wanted to go there…"

"Spare me," Tess scoffed, raising her hand again.

"Wait!" Ava's eyes were pleading. "I knew Loni and Rath would come after me after they found out I helped Isabel warn Max so I went to California. And everything was fine until she found me."

Tess lowered her arm, deciding to hear her story before she did anything.

"She told me that I'd never be free; that they would always find me unless I helped them." Ava shook her head. "I didn't want to but I didn't want to die like my Zan did, so I did what she said."

"Did what Ava?" Tess was becoming bored with her drawn out story. She hadn't received any answers.

"She wanted me to send Alex to decode the book and mind warp you into believing you sent him." Ava leaned against the window seal. "If she could get you guys to activate the granilith and go home in it, Kivar would get everything he wanted and she'd get to return home and rule at his side."

"But Nacedo made a deal with Kivar?" Tess squinted, unsure if what she was saying was true.

"No, Loni made the deal." Ava replied. "She said something happened in New York, that she could get in your mind somehow and that it would make you more susceptible to the mind warp." Ava bit at the side of her lip nervously. "I didn't completely understand it myself but it's how I could change your memories so easily only I did it wrong."

"What do you mean?" Tess was a bit uneasy.

"I wanted you to remember eventually," Ava looked at her with truth in her eyes. "I wanted to help you because we're the same but the three of them…"

"Three?"

"You don't remember everything then?" Ava's question was not meant to be answered. "Rath, Loni, and well I guess you know her as Jennifer."

"Jennifer?" The name sounded familiar to Tess but she couldn't place where she heard it. As Ava kept talking about her being with Alex during her stay in Las Cruces it suddenly dawned on her. Max had told her about Alex's girlfriend from his supposed trip to Sweden being Jennifer Coleman from the university. They thought she was an alien at the time.

"Leanna is not Leanna," Tess suddenly said. "Leanna is Jennifer Coleman."

"Actually Leanna is Leanna, at least that's her name from before but she calls herself Jennifer with humans." Ava saw the confused look on the other alien's face. "Before you were Ava but now you're Tess, it's like that. She's a skin."

"That's impossible. Max and Liz checked her blood when she pricked herself and it was completely human." Tess shook her head back and forth.

"It would be," Ava rolled her eyes. "They aren't like us, they're parasitic."

Tess looked at the other alien, perplexed.

Sensing the confusion from the blonde standing before her Ava started to explain, "The husk, as they call it, is living human tissue which they live off of in a way, kind of like huge tape worms. It's like a human exoskeleton."

"So if you pricked it you'd get human blood?" Tess finally began to believe Ava's words.

Ava continued to tell her story; how Loni was to deliver the four of them to Kivar, leave Rath and return to Antar. She told of Alex being a pawn to decode the book and how Loni set it up for them to discover only part of the translation. The granilith had not been their only way home; just the one Kivar wanted them to take.

Tess sat now, taking in everything Ava told her. How Loni had connected to her and at times, almost controlled her. How Ava saw Max's parents bringing the baby to an agency across town and how Ava mind warped the workers and took the baby believing Tess had died. There was so much for Tess to process; it seemed so complicated but in the end it was very simple. She had not betrayed any of them? She had not betrayed Max?

Ava told the rest so quickly, finally laying down the burden that she'd been carrying around. She was sobbing now. "I'm so sorry I was too weak to stop them."

Tess wanted to be angry with her but as she looked at the face that looked so much like her own, she couldn't. She was of victim of the situation almost as much as Tess and she had just given her the greatest gift; the truth. "Loni did this Ava. It was not your fault."

Tess looked back at the child lying in the chair; he was still fast asleep through all of this. She scooped Zan up in her loving embrace, relieved to have her son in her arms again. Tess kissed him on the forehead tenderly_. I'll never let you go again. _

"She stole so much from me," Tess was angry but looking at Zan's face kept her calm. "She has to pay."

"She will," Ava looked up through teary eyes. "He will make her pay."

Tess looked at her quizzically but looking at Ava's emotional state decided to let it go, for now.

* * *

Isabel leaned forward in the chair, scrolling through the pictures on the screen while Liz leaned over her.

"Oh my god Liz, this is him." Isabel clicked on his picture, bringing up his information. "Look at this, terminated."

"That was only a few months ago," Liz replied. "Does it say why?"

"No," Isabel shook her head. "But it does give us an address. I think we should pay him a little visit."

"Hey," Max entered the room as Isabel and Liz turned around quickly, both rising to their feet. They soon calmed as soon as they realized who it was. "I found it. It looks like he lost the case."

Liz retrieved the papers from his hand. "He was suing for being responsible for someone named Emma's death, as her next of kin."

Isabel turned back to the computer, printing out the page she was looking at. "Max, his address is on here. We have to go." She retrieved the paper from the printer.

"We can't just show up at this guy's house in the middle of the night." Liz was cautious. "What are we going to say?"

"We can't waste time Liz, you said it yourself." Isabel was eager to solve this problem so they could solve the other one.

"We have to be careful Isabel," Max spoke directly. "We'll go tomorrow."

And with that it was settled.


	6. Chapter 5: The Same

**The Same**

Isabel leaned against the railing of the patio watching the sun come up. As she watched the horizon go from darkness to a spectrum of beautiful colors, she mulled over the current situation. She flicked at the picture in her hand. She wasn't sure why she kept it but she did. Maybe because it was the last time they were all together; the last time they were all happy, when they'd been full of hope and promise. Isabel longed for that feeling again. Things had been simple then: Alex was alive and Tess was not a traitor.

As she looked at their group picture from prom, she sat down in the lounge chair. The idea came to her last night; she would dream walk Tess and find out if she was telling the truth. She placed her hand over her target as her eyelids closed heavily and her body laid back.

As Isabel entered her mind she could sense that something was wrong; something about her didn't feel quite right. Isabel dismissed it and continued to dredge around. She could see Tess standing underneath a starlit sky rocking Zan back and forth in her arms, and she was not alone.

They were all there, at least Isabel, Max, Michael, and Kyle. Ava was there too. Isabel had intended to speak with Tess but instead held back, watching what went on in the dream.

"You gave me back my family Ava," Tess smiled at her. "Thank you so much."

"You didn't kill Alex Tess," Ava smiled back at her. "Everyone deserved to know what really happened."

"I would never do anything to hurt any of you," Tess turned around facing the others.

"We know Tess," Max wrapped his arms around her. "I should've known that you'd never betray me."

"We all should've known it was something like this," Kyle said. "You're my sister and I should've been on your side."

"She tricked us all," Tess replied.

"If I ever find her…" Michael let his sentence trail off.

"If any of us ever find her, she will pay Tess," The dream Isabel spoke.

"We can't change what happened," Tess replied. "We can only make sure no one ever comes between us again."

"I'll protect you this time," Max took Zan from her arms. "And I'll protect our son, I promise you that."

Just then Tess got a strange look on her face. "Is someone else here?"

Isabel's eyes opened suddenly, the picture still held tightly in her hand. _What the hell was that? Does she actually believe she didn't kill Alex or is it her plan to make us believe it? _

* * *

Tess awoke to a soft murmuring in her ear. She opened her eyes slowly and smiled, looking at the child lying on her chest. She scotched herself up and laid him back in her arms so she could look into the most beautiful face she'd ever seen. Tess studied every feature, every curve on his face, every dimple.

Zan cooed and smiled, looking up at his mother's face adoringly. Tess could hardly believe he was once again in her arms. "My precious Zan, I have missed you so much."

"How'd you sleep?" Ava walked into the room carrying a bag.

"Great," Her eyes never left the bundle of joy before her.

"I got us some food." Ava sat on the edge of the couch where Tess was laying. "You hungry?"

"Ava, you mentioned someone last night." Tess shifted Zan, laying him across her right arm. "A man; who is _he_?"

"Zsar," to Ava, this one word was a sentence.

"Zsar?" Tess recognized the name but could not remember ever hearing it. "Who is Zsar?"

Ava sat for a moment before speaking. "He's who we were supposed to marry before we met Zan." She adjusted herself to face Tess. "Our parents were arranging it."

Tess just looked at her, waiting for Ava to continue.

"It was more for business than love," Ava shrugged, "at least on our end."

"He loved Ava then?" Tess questioned.

"Yeah," Ava nodded. "In his own twisted way I guess. He and Kivar go way back and he helped him overthrow our throne."

"How do you know all of this?" Tess questioned, remembering none of this herself.

"Some things I remember," Ava paused briefly, thinking of her past life. "The blanks, Vipan filled in. He was our protector."

Tess sat patiently, pausing for the rest of Ava's story.

"From what he told me," Ava continued. "Kivar and Zsar thought they could rule Antar with Vilandra and Ava by their sides."

"We weren't going to-to," Tess stuttered, worry washing over her face. "Was I- Ava… did she betray Zan?"

"No," the dark haired girl shook her head back and forth as a look of relief came over Tess' face. "We knew nothing about their plans. Ava would've never betrayed Zan." She looked directly in her twin's eyes. "I would've never betrayed my Zander just like you did not betray Max."

Tess found comfort in hearing those words. "And this Zsar, he's here now?" She paused briefly. "On Earth, I mean."

"Yes and he's here for you." Ava replied matter-of-factly. "I'm just the back up Tess, you're the real thing and he knows that. He wants to bring you back to Antar so the two of you can rule it together."

Tess got a confused look on her face.

"He found me recently," Ava began to explain. "We were just outside of Roswell at the time. He was after Loni and he told me to get away from her so I came back here."

"He wants Loni dead then?" Tess saw Ava nod. "What about Kivar?" Tess asked confused, her mind trying to grasp as much of this as she could.

"Yes," Ava looked at her with sadness in her eyes. "He knows what Kivar did to you when you went back."

Tess thought back to her time on Antar, when Kivar kept her prisoner. She had never encountered anyone with that much power and she had been no match for him when he attacked her. Tess could do nothing but let her mind go elsewhere. She would not scream. She would not cry. Kivar would get no emotion from her. Tess was doing this for her son, so he'd be safe and when he wasn't, she fled the planet that she once thought would be her salvation; the planet she called home.

Ava needn't speak another word. She placed her hand on top of Tess', squeezing it a little.

* * *

Maria sat at one of the secluded desks in the lobby area. She was in front of the computer, alternating between typing and jotting down info in a notepad with a pen. She quickly grabbed the mouse and minimized the screen as soon as she heard footsteps behind her. Maria turned to look over her shoulder, and then returned to what she was doing after realizing it was only Michael.

"What is all this?" Michael leaned over her.

"Google," Maria glanced up at him, then back to the monitor.

"Google?" Michael repeated, not catching the meaning.

"You've never heard of google?" She turned back in her seat, wide jawed. "Why am I even surprised?" She let out a short laugh. "It's a website where you can find anything on anything. Look at all these." Maria held up the notebook.

Michael just looked at her blankly.

"These are all major adoption agencies in New York," She paused briefly. "There are ninety-six here."

"I don't think we have time to go to ninety-six agencies Maria," Michael took the notebook from her hands, glancing it over.

"That's what the numbers are for," Maria rolled her eyes playfully. "I'll figure out which ones to call after I'm through narrowing it down. Where's Kyle?"

"Maybe he's chanting or something," Michael laughed. "So how do you narrow these down?"

"By finding the ones in the New York City area first," Maria tossed a highlighter towards him.

"What's this for?" Puzzled, he caught the marker in mid-air.

"Highlight the agencies with these zip codes," Maria smiled up at him. "You weren't just gonna stand there, were you?"

Michael didn't answer. He pulled out the chair from the other booth and sat down next to her. Michael began flipping through the notebook, highlighter in hand while Maria continued typing on the computer.

* * *

Max, Liz, and Isabel exited the van in front of the address that was listed on the computer from the previous night. It took them half an hour to find the house through all the small roads. The three of them stood on the wood porch, waiting for their knock to be answered.

The curtains moved before the door opened slightly. "Hello," a red-haired woman looking to be in her early twenties opened the door, robe tightly wrapped around her.

"Hi," Isabel flashed a smile. "I'm so sorry to bother you but we're looking for Earl Collings."

The woman just stared at them, irritation written all over her face.

"Is he here?" Liz's tone was direct.

"No," the woman started to close the door.

Liz stuck her foot in the edge of the doorway. It was a move that even surprised her but they'd come too far to give up that easily. "Can you at least tell us when he'll be back?"

"It's very important we find him," Max spoke calmly, pulling Liz away from the door.

The woman looked him up and down, and then shrugged. "He won't be back. He doesn't live here anymore, thank God."

"Why do you say that?" Isabel questioned.

"What is this about?" The woman looked irked again. "Has he done something?"

"His family is worried about him," Max said the first thing he could think of."

"We're distant relatives," Liz glanced between Max and the woman who was looking at him like he was some sort of prize she'd won.

"He started off as a really nice guy but he got weird after his cousin died," she leaned against the door frame.

"Emma," Liz said blankly.

"Yeah," the woman nodded. "He blamed the company he worked for and made sure they knew it. After he caused one too many scenes, they fired him."

"Why'd he blame the company?' Isabel asked.

"For relatives, you sure don't know much." The woman started to get suspicious.

"We're not very close," Max smiled slightly. "We're just doing our aunt a favor." Keeping so many secrets had made him a quick liar.

The redhead looked at him for a moment before continuing. "She'd come to visit at work and there was a robbery attempt. She was hit by a stray bullet…"

"…And she died." Liz continued the sentence for her.

"He blamed them for not having proper security and even tried to sue." She shook her head. "When he lost the case he really started acting weird, talking crazy and everything so we told him he had to leave."

"Where did he go?" Liz was hoping the girl knew the answer.

"I thought he'd gone back to Texas until he showed up here the other day." She replied. "He's still close to my cousin Billy."

"Can we talk to him?" Max asked.

"He won't be back till tonight," She tilted her head to the side. "You could come back then."

"Thank you," Max replied.

"Your welcome," the girl smiled before stepping back inside and closing the door.

Max and Isabel quickly walked back to the van while Liz lingered behind.

Max turned around to see Liz looking at him with a strange look on her face. "What's wrong?"

"What was…?" Liz stopped mid-sentence as she touched the railing at the end of the stairs. She began to see flashes of Earl and another man talking, a dark room, a cement floor, and the explosion again. Liz closed her eyes tightly and took a deep breathe in before opening them again slowly.

"What did you see?" Max had rushed to her side with Isabel.

"It's happening tonight Max," she answered softly. "We have to stop it."

"We will."

* * *

Kyle sat on the floor in indian style; eyes closed, arms elevated with his palms facing upward. He took several deep breathes in and out before dropping his arms to the side and opening his eyes. _This is not working._

He'd spent the last twenty minutes, trying to mediate on what he was feeling. He wanted to be upset that Tess was alive but instead he was relieved; _…still mad at her but relieved_, he thought to himself.

"Hey," Maria's voice caused him to look up suddenly. "Are you okay Kyle?"

"Yeah," His voice showed that he was anything but.

"Okay, spill." Maria plopped next to him on the edge of the bed. "It's Tess, right?"

Kyle looked at her from the corners of his eyes, not knowing if he should say anything.

"Come on, we're on a deadline here." The pushy blonde snapped her fingers at him. "Tell me what's going on."

"Alright," Kyle said slowly, taking a deep breathe before continuing. "I'm not unhappy that she isn't dead."

"Okay," Maria nodded. She could tell from the look in his eyes her mild response was not what he'd been expecting. "Go on."

"I'm…" Kyle took a moment to find the right word. "I'm relieved that Tess isn't dead even though I'm still angry at her." He waited for Maria to tell him he was crazy.

"You thought of her as your sister Kyle; your bound to still care about her in someway." Maria gave a half smile, trying to be supportive. "Sean is a screw-up, plain and simple but he's still my cousin and I love him. Now he never killed one of my friends and tricked me into helping him or anything like that but I think you get what I'm saying."

"Thanks, I guess." Kyle looked at her a bit strangely but knew she was trying to help.

"Anytime," Maria patted him on the shoulder.

"Hey," Liz stood in the doorway.

"Any luck?" Kyle questioned.

"He's not living there anymore but his ex-roommate was helpful when she wasn't flirting with Max," Liz replied. "And I had another vision."

"Who was flirting with Max?" Maria questioned in that best friend tone.

"Maria," Kyle shook his head.

"Okay, we'll talk later chica." Maria replied. "So what did you see?"

"It's happening tonight," Liz said in a rather calm tone. "Max went to get Michael so we could talk about it. Any luck on your end?"

"I've got it narrowed down to ten adoption agencies that the Evans' could've gone to." Maria replied. "That's still a lot but it's a start."

"Where did you get all you information from?" Liz questioned.

"Google," Maria shrugged, "Can you believe Michael never even heard of it. I realized today how much I still have to teach him." She smiled at the thought.

As Liz, Maria, and Kyle walked in the living room they heard Michael's voice, He was telling Max and Isabel about the adoption agencies.

"…so I'm like, you've never heard of google?" Michael stops abruptly when he sees Maria standing there.

"Go ahead Michael, don't let me stop you." Maria grinned at him. She found it amusing how he always took credit for her ideas.

Michael shrugged. "We narrowed it down to ten agencies."

"Good," Max nodded. "After we stop this, we have to leave for New York tonight."

"Has she tried to contact you again?" Kyle asked.

"No." Max answered abruptly. "We need to move on this as quickly as possible." As he looked around at the faces staring at him, he caught an odd look on his sister's face. "Isabel, what is it?'

Isabel hesitated for a second, wondering if she should tell him about the dream walk. "No, nothing." She shook her head. "You're right, we should leave tonight."

Liz began to discuss what went on with her vision and the group started to plan a course of action. They only had a few hours to stop her vision and everything had to be done just right.

* * *

Tess sang softly while she rocked Zan for his nap. His eyes were heavy but they kept opening up ever so slightly, fighting sleep from taking over. She was amazed by his tiniest movements. Tess kissed her son on the forehead tenderly before laying him down in the crib. She turned back, looking at the hybrid behind her. "I'd be content just watching him. I'm so glad I was wrong."

"Wrong about what?" Ava walked closer to her.

"I had this feeling that Zan was in danger but he's fine." Tess was relieved to see her baby safe and happy. "Thank you for talking such good care of him."

"I'm not so sure he's out of danger," Ava replied. "Zsar, he'll do anything to accomplish his goals; even kill Zan if he thinks he posses a threat to his plans. And there's always Kivar…" Ava paused, biting at the corner of her lip. "And Loni, eventually she'll try to find him and do something."

Tess knew Ava was right even though she did not want to hear the words. "Then I'll have to find her first."

Ava just looked at her with a tense look on her face.

"You said yourself that there's a connection between me and Loni," Tess continued. "I just have to make it work the other way and use it to my advantage."

"What if she finds you first before you're ready?" Ava questioned with sincerity in her eyes.

"I want her to find me," Tess said plainly.

"What?" Ava's eyes grew wide.

"As long as she's alive, we're all in danger." Tess paused, then said thoughtfully, "But I need to keep Zan safe. There's a place you can go and keep him safe for me until I return."

"This ain't right Tess," Ava shook her head. "Zan needs his mother; what happens if you don't come back?"

"You told me I was the original," Tess was unwavering. "That's got to mean my gifts are stronger."

"Yeah but Loni's more experienced at using hers," Ava was biting at her lip again. "She taps into something evil."

"So what do you think I should do, just sit around and wait till she finds me and attacks my son?" Tess looked back at her sleeping child, and then back at her twin. "You told me you were sorry and that you wanted to make up for it, well here's your chance." Her tone was very serious.

Ava stood still for a moment, and then nodded slowly. "Where do I go?"

"Lubbock Texas," Tess smiled, remembering Estel's kind words.

_If you ever need anything at all, you can always come back here._

"You'll have to pretend to be me though," Tess paused briefly. "You can do that, right? I remember Loni and Rath could impersonate Isabel and Michael."

"I can do it," Ava waved her hand over her face and down her body, mirroring Tess' image, then waved her hand back and returned to her own form. "I'm glad I can do this for you and that you trust me even though I'm not sure why you do."

"Because you've taken care of Zan just like he was your own, the way I would've." Tess looked at the only friend she had at this moment. She needed to trust her; she needed to trust the words Ava had spoken to her. "Because we're the same."

* * *

Michael and Maria sat in the jeep across the street from Earl's old address, crouched down in the seats waiting for the friend in Liz's vision to leave.

"Do you think Liz was sure it was happening tonight?" Maria peeked up from her slouched position. "I mean, he's taking a long time to come out of there."

"Keep your head down Maria; we don't want him to see us." Michael said in a rather annoyed voice. She had been babbling since they parked out front and it had begun to get on his nerves.

"Do you think he'll ever come out?" Maria continued with her endless questions. "Why do we always have to do the stakeouts?"

"Shhh, there he is." Michael whispered as a man came out of the house.

The man got in a white Nissan and started driving down the block with Maria and Michael following from a safe distance.

Maria retrieved the walkie-talkie from the glove box and held it up to her mouth. "We're following him now."

"Good, you know what to do." Max's voice came through the speaker.

Michael followed the car a few more blocks before speeding it up. "Brace yourself." He glanced at Maria for a moment before cutting in front of the man and slamming on the brakes. The nissan's tires screeched as it crashed into the jeep in front of it.

"Are you okay?" Michael reached over to check Maria.

"Yeah, I'm fine." She nodded.

"What the hell's wrong with you?" The man yelled as he stepped out of his car.

Michael exited the jeep quickly. "You slammed into me guy." He enjoyed detaining people.

"I don't have time for this," he began walking back to his car.

"You're not going anywhere," Michael walked over to the Nissan and placed his hand on the hood. "Who's gonna pay for my car?"

The two ensued in an argument just as Michael planned. He and Maria were to detain the man from reaching Earl and bringing him whatever it was Earl was thanking him for in Liz's vision. Maria got out the jeep and leaned against the door, suppressing the laughter that threatened to erupt watching the scene in front of her.

* * *

Isabel ran up to Max, who was standing by the van in the Convention Center's parking lot.

"I just saw him hanging around in the front near the crowd," Isabel said. "Was Michael able to stop his friend?"

Max smiled, and shook his head, replaying what Maria just told him. "He got in an accident with him."

A look of concern spread across Isabel's face.

"They're fine." Max replied. "He's arguing with him now over damages."

"Only Michael," Isabel smiled. "Let's go then." She began to walk around the side of the Convention Center as Max followed her.

The outside of the Convention Center was crowded with people gathering around and standing in lines out front. It was opening day of an event that was set to last the whole week and the hours had been extended.

Max and Isabel scanned the crowd, yet there was no sign of Earl.

"We should checked around back," Max suggested quietly.

The two of them searched around the back of the building and still no sign of who they were looking for. Max looked at the door for signs it'd been tampered with but found nothing. He put his hand over the door and unlocked it, silently telling Isabel they should check inside.

"Do you think he'd move ahead without him?" Isabel asked softly as she followed her brother through the corridors. "I though Liz said his friend was bringing him something important."

"Obviously not what we thought," Max replied as he opened another door, heading into the facility. "We have to find the bomb, maybe we should split up."

"No," Isabel's tone was resolute. She was not letting something happen like the Meta-Chem incident, they weren't splitting up.

Max nodded, knowing what she was thinking of. A soft beep came from his pocket all of the sudden. He reached into his jacket, pulling out the walkie-talkie and pressing down the button on the side. "What's going on Maria?"

"Max, this is Kyle." His voice came through the speaker, barely above a whisper. "Liz is gone."

* * *

Liz blasted the lock off of the emergency exit door located on the side of the building. Her powers were still new to her and somewhat undeveloped but she'd learned to control little things.

She'd been waiting in the van with Kyle for everyone else to take care of her vision when she decided to do something about it herself. She told Kyle she was going to wait outside for the others but ran across the parking lot to the building in front of her instead. She was sure, by now, he'd informed Max of her escape.

Liz looked around, trying to find objects that looked familiar from her visions. She crept down a set of stairs that led to the basement area. She walked across the room slowly and approached a door leading to another room. Liz steadied her hand on the handle; pushing down the lever with her thumb she opened it slowly. As she stepped inside, a pair of brown eyes stared into hers.

"He's not coming," Liz stated calmly. "I've come to help you."

"Who are you?" Earl asked, startled by her presence.

"I'm a friend," she said plainly. "You can't do this."

"Do what?" Earl had a strange feeling she knew everything but how. _Did Billy tell someone?_

"I know what it's like to lose someone you love," Liz thought of Alex. Her thoughts had drifted to him more than usual as of late. "And to have someone murder them and get away with it; it doesn't seem fair, does it?"

Earl studied her for a moment. There was something in her eyes that spoke the truth. "No, it doesn't seem fair."

"They never caught the man who shot her?" It had been more of a statement than a question.

"How do you know so much?" He wondered if he was imagining this; he had been drinking quite a bit earlier.

"I told you, I'm a friend." Liz said simply. She now knew what her vision was about. She wasn't here just to stop the explosion; she was here to save him. "This won't bring Emma back Earl, it'll only make you lose yourself."

He stared at her, wondering if she was his guardian angel.

"I know what it's like to be consumed by grief and to want to push everyone else out of your life," Liz continued. "You have to stop this and turn yourself in and get the help you need."

"I'm not going to jail!" Earl became angry. "They killed her and they got away with it."

"So now you'll kill innocent people who had nothing to do with her death?" Liz questioned. "This isn't you. Do you think that's what she would want?"

"We grew up together and I was supposed to protect her," Earl buried his head in his hands. "She was the only one who was ever there for me."

"This is not the way to be there for her," Liz's tone was comforting. She could see she was getting through to him. "Where is it?"

He knew what she was looking for. "It's in the corner but it's too late," Earl replied. "I can't turn it off."

"How long do we have?" Liz questioned.

"About fifteen minutes," He looked just as worried as she did.

"Call the police and I'll take care of the bomb," Liz ordered.

"You must be an angel." Earl said before dialing 911 on the cell phone.

Liz began to pace the floor. _Think Liz, Think._

"Liz," Max came up behind her with Isabel following closely behind.

"The bomb's going to detonate," Liz turned to face him. "The cops are on their way but it might be too late."

"Is, get Earl into the other room," Max commanded.

Isabel lead Earl out of the room and closed the door behind her. Max placed his hand over the began to glow as he concentrated on adjusting the mechanics inside of the explosive device. After a few moments, his hand stopped glowing and the timer on the bomb stopped with 30 seconds remaining. Liz and Max quickly exited the room, joining Isabel and Earl. They could hear a knocking coming from the door above the steps.

"We know you're down there," a voice called. "This is the police, open up."

"Don't worry," Liz half smiled. "Now you can save yourself by doing the right thing."

"Thank you for stopping me," Earl replied right before the door burst open and cops swarmed in.

Max, Liz, and Isabel exited through a side door and made it to the parking lot unseen through the chaos of people that were scampering after being told of the bomb threat. When they got in the van, Michael, Maria, and Kyle were already there waiting.

Kyle backed out of the parking lot and began heading down the street.

"What were you thinking Liz," Max paused briefly. "…going off like that?"

"I had to," Liz replied. "I had another vision and I knew it was him I was supposed to save. Grief can consume you and I know what that's like. I had to save him, we were the same."


	7. Chapter 6: Face to Face

A/N: I meant to put this up on Monday but I got really busy at work. Thanks for reading and Please Review :)

**Face to Face**

Tess looked across the dark room at Ava who was sleeping on the other side of the couch. They planned on leaving tomorrow for Estel's house. She'd given her a call earlier, alerting the kind woman to her arrival. Ava tried to talk Tess out of this, saying she hadn't planned it enough but she remained grounded. Tess wasn't going on plans or preparations, she was going on pure instinct and so far that had led her to her son and the truth.

Tess rose from the couch and laid Zan on one of the cushions. She realized that she hadn't told Max that Zan was safe, and with her. She was bursting to tell him the truth about everything but something was holding her back. She was worried how the others would take the news. _So many of them hated me and killing Alex gave them a reason to. What will they do once they realize it was all a lie? _She shook her head, resolving not to care. It was really Max and Kyle's reactions she cared the most about; and she hoped Isabel and Michael would accept the truth easily.

Tess stood silently as she closed her eyes and began focusing on finding Max's aura. Her arms rose from her sides slightly as she reached out with her mind and found herself walking towards him.

"Max," her voice was soft.

"Tess," Max said. He stood still for a moment, unsure of what to say. "We're on our way to New York to find Zan."

"He's safe," she smiled slightly. "He's with me now." Tess took a deep breath and exhaled. "It's a long story but Ava has been taking care of him."

"Ava?" Max questioned. "Why did she have him?"

"She was keeping him safe." Tess paused as her mind raced with thoughts, "from Rath and Loni."

"What do Rath and Loni have to do with this?" Concern spread across his face. "Did they try to hurt Zan?"

Tess nodded. "Before he was even born."

"What are you talking about?" Max was confused by her vague words.

"Loni set me up Max," Tess blurted out, not knowing how to ease into this part of the conversation. "She fooled everyone, even me into believing I killed Alex but it's not true."

"You can't change what you did to Alex by lying," Max said in a firm tone. "What's done is done."

"She did something to my mind and she used Ava to do it!" Tess exclaimed.

"I don't have time for this Tess," Max was becoming irritated. Although he really didn't put anything past her this was unbelievable.

"Max listen to me," Tess pleaded. "I know how much this is to take in but if you'd just give me a chance to explain…"

"Explain what Tess?" Max was now yelling. "How I should trust you again so you can deliver me to my enemies!"

"Max…" Tess began but he did not let her finish.

"I can't believe I was actually worried about you," Max shook his head in disgust. "That you would use Zan..."

"I would never use my child!" Tess was yelling back at him, furious that he wouldn't give her a chance to explain. "Don't worry about me Max and don't worry about my son; I'm taking care of the threat myself."

"What threat?" Max's emotions were a mixture of concern and anger. "Is Zan okay?"

"He will be," Tess replied coldly.

"What does that mean?" Max asked, seeing the fear hiding behind her eyes.

"It means I don't need you and neither does Zan," she spat. "We'll be just fine Max." And with that, Tess broke the connection and her form disappeared.

"Tess," Max awoke in the airplane, calling out her name.

"Max," Liz reached over to him.

"I think he's really in danger and I don't think Tess will be contacting me again," Max said in a distraught tone, "ever."

"What happened Max?" Liz asked quietly.

"I blew it." Max kept seeing the look in her eyes before she disappeared. He'd seen her display many emotions: fury, anger, passion, sadness but never this. "I've never seen her look afraid and Liz I saw fear in her eyes."

"You're still not telling me what happened," Liz pressed.

Max looked at her thoughtfully, not wanting to upset his wife with Tess' words. "I accused her of using Zan."

Liz just sat silently, waiting for him to continue.

"She was trying to convince me of her innocence," Max said vaguely.

"Innocence of what?" Liz asked.

Isabel, who was sitting in front of them, had been listening to everything and perked up at the word "innocence." She turned around in her seat and whispered, "She told you about Alex, didn't she?"

"What about Alex?" Liz's tone changed completely.

"How did you…" Max was cut off by Isabel.

"I dream walked her and in her dream she was so happy we finally knew the truth," her tone was sarcastic.

"The truth about what?" Liz huffed.

"She said she didn't kill Alex," Max replied. "She said Loni did something to her mind."

"Her mind?" Isabel repeated then shook her head. _No, it couldn't be._

"You're not considering this?" Liz stared at her husband. "Max, come on."

"No," Max turned to see a thoughtful look on Isabel's face. "You are?"

Up a few rows sat Michael, Maria, and Kyle. The three of them kept looking back; wondering what the looks on Max, Isabel, and Liz's faces were.

"I wish I knew what they were talking about," Maria squirmed in her seat.

"Well I'm going to find out," Michael rose from his seat.

"Michael, you can't just get up and start roaming around through a plane." She pursed her lips and gave him her signature 'No Michael' look.

"When the fasten seatbelt sign is off you can go to the bathroom," Kyle replied.

"Kyle," Maria shot a look in his direction, then back to her boyfriend. "You can't…"

"Watch me," Michael cut her off. "Kyle, stay here with Maria."

"Where does the guy think I'm gonna go?" Kyle shrugged as Michael walked over to the other three, who were still enveloped in their conversation.

"What the hell's going on?" Michael questioned.

"Isabel is explaining to us why she's taking Tess' side against Alex," Liz's voice was full of anger even though her tone was quiet. "He was a good guy and he didn't deserve to die like that. He was my best friend and…"

"Would you stop acting like you are the only one who lost him?" Isabel ran a hand through her hair. "We all lost Alex; we all loved him."

"Then why are you taking her side?" Liz questioned.

"I'm not!" Isabel exclaimed then quieted as she saw everyone turn around to look at her.

"This isn't solving anything," Max stated firmly.

"I'm sorry sir but you're going to have to take your seat." The stewardess walked up to Michael.

"Hey Man," Michael tapped the boy next to Isabel who was bopping his head up and down, music blaring through his speakers.

"What's up?" The young man pushed one headphone off his right ear.

"Can you trade seats with me?" Michael asked.

"Please," Isabel batted her eyes at him.

"Whateva," he replied while smiling at Isabel.

Michael pointed to the seat next to Maria and the boy grabbed his walkman and moved.

"Sir," the stewardess pressed.

"I'm sitting," Michael scooted in the now vacant seat and looked over at Maria who was giving him a dirty look.

The stewardess continued walking up the aisle.

"Is there something the three of you want to share?" Michael leaned against the seat, facing sideways.

"Something's wrong with Tess," Isabel stated blankly.

"We all know there's something wrong with Tess," Michael looked at them like they were all crazy. "What's your point?"

Max looked between Liz and Isabel before speaking. "Tess says Loni and Rath set her up and she didn't kill Alex."

"What?" Michael scratched at his eyebrow.

"I," Max exhaled a long breathe before continuing. "I lost my temper and she told me she'd take care of the threat herself; then she broke the connection."

"So we're sure Zan really is in danger then?" Michael questioned.

"I saw fear in her eyes Michael," Max replied. "She's telling the truth about Zan."

"And about Alex?" It was a question.

"I don't know," Max looked over at Liz, waiting for her reaction which she gave readily.

"Why are we taking her at her word?" Liz was trying her best to stay calm but she felt like exploding. "She admitted to killing Alex! She mind warped Kyle into carrying the body!"

"What makes you believe her?" Michael was with Liz, this just didn't make any sense.

"I don't believe her," Max sounded like he might be trying to convince himself too.

"Something happened to her mind Michael," Isabel turned towards him. "I don't know how to explain it; I could just feel it."

"So what are we saying here?" Michael looked between the three of them. "Zan's in danger and the only real link we had to finding him is a murdering liar or an innocent scapegoat who either way isn't talking to us."

"Maybe she'll talk to me," Isabel replied. "I'll visit her in her dreams and show her I'm willing to listen."

"So you believe her?" Liz was dumbfounded. "Great, this is just great."

"Liz," Max looked at her, silently pleading for her to be okay with this. "We're out of options."

"Fine," Liz breathed out deeply. "But I still don't trust her."

* * *

Ava awoke to a rustling sound in the room. She picked her head up and peered through the dark at a figure moving back and forth across the room. It was Tess. She was pacing as she mumbled inaudible words underneath her breath.

"Tess," Ava spoke through the darkness. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine." Her response was short as she continued to pace, still mumbling.

Ava fluffed her pillow and turned her head to lie down as she felt Tess' weight on the edge of the couch. Ava rolled to the side, propping herself up on her elbow.

"Do they think I'm just going to wait around until they come to their senses?" Tess began speaking into the air. "I didn't ask to be set up."

Ava sat up and looked at her patiently, allowing her to vent.

"I mean Liz tells him I'm a murderer and in two seconds he goes from the man planning a future with me and our child to the man who wants me dead!" Tess was finally letting her emotions spill out. "And I tell him the truth and he won't even hear me out." She took a labored breath. "I mean, I wasn't expecting let's pick up where we left off, but I wasn't excepting this."

"What were you expecting then?" Ava asked, trying to sound comforting even though she was tired.

"I don't know," Tess shook her head back and forth. "I guess I expected him to care."

"He'll come around," Ava gave a half smile. "They all will."

"They're coming here," Tess said.

"To New York?" Ava saw Tess nod. "Are you going to wait for them, to take Zan for you?"

"No," Tess stood up, making her way to the other sofa. "They don't trust me and I don't trust them; I trust you."

"Thanks," Ava smiled. "You should get some rest."

Tess picked up Zan and laid him down on the couch, placing her son on her chest. "Goodnight Ava."

"Goodnight Tess."

* * *

Isabel stood in the cramped space, unintentionally leaning into the sink. She wasn't a fan of flying, seeing how the first time she was in an aircraft it crashed. Her non memory of the event was irrelevant.

She stared down at the picture in her mind, focusing on Tess' face. She hoped no one would knock on the bathroom door and interrupt her from making the connection. She lightly touched her fingers to the petite blonde in the picture and closing her eyes, let her mind reach out to find Tess in dream state.

It took a few moments but she was in. Isabel could feel the damage done to Tess' mind and it scared her. She pressed on and soon found herself standing face to face with her.

"Tess," Isabel was unsure of what she should say.

"What are you doing here?" Tess asked. After Isabel gave no response she said in a calm voice, "Max told you."

Isabel nodded. "Who did this to you?"

"You believe me then?" Tess tried to sound nonchalant but deep inside she hoped at least one of them would. She was surprised it was Isabel.

"I can tell that someone has," Isabel struggled to find the right word, "tampered with your mind."

Isabel's gliding over the question did not sit well with Tess. "Then you don't believe me?" Tess squinted before rolling her eyes.

"I don't know what to believe." She was being honest. "I am willing to listen to you though."

Tess stood for a moment. _That's more than Max was willing to give me._ She shrugged. "It all started the last time I was in New York, after the summit…"

Isabel listened to every word: How Loni connected to Tess, how Ava manipulated her memories after she was threatened, and how Loni killed Alex. She told her how Nicholas was involved, Leanna was a skin, and now there was another alien on Earth searching for her.

After Tess was through and all of Isabel's questions were answered, she broke the connection. Isabel hoped she convinced Tess to wait for them but she wasn't sure she had. What she did get was Tess' location, at least for now.

She stood for a moment in the cramped space; taking in everything she'd been told. She wasn't sure if she believed that Tess killed Alex or not but she believed that Tess believed it_. If this is a setup, I don't think she's behind it. But what do I tell the others; how do I convince them that we should trust her?_

* * *

Max looked around the car, thinking there were less people on the subway then when he last rode the train. There were still people talking, laughing, sleeping, and some who just kept to themselves but it was definitely less crowded. They were all standing towards the end of the car where there was open space for wheelchairs on one side and luggage on the other.

He'd zoned out of the conversation for a moment, letting his mind run over everything that Isabel told them. _Had we really been wrong about Tess all this time? _It was a thought that shook him to his core. _She stood by me, saved us from the skins and we may have delivered our greatest ally to our enemies._

_...They aren't my enemies..._

He could still hear the conversation in his head, when she admitted to him that she made a deal and now Isabel was telling him, them, that this all could've been a setup.

"Max," Michael's voice cut through his thoughts. "Are you listening?"

"Yeah," Max nodded. "Go ahead."

"I was thinking about the tapping," Michael continued. "Tess mind warped people before but no one was ever tapping or anything. If they did something to her…" He let the sentence trail off. "Am I the only one who found that a little weird?"

"Maybe that was a little too convenient," Max said solemnly.

Liz looked at Max but said nothing.

"Well maybe this is a little too convenient now," Maria replied.

"Well maybe it's not," Kyle's voice was slightly louder than everyone else's. "Maybe the reason she was so convenient was that even your dupes could tell how you all really felt about her." Kyle's emotions were running high and he couldn't seem to stop himself. "None of you ever really cared about her."

"That's not true Kyle," Max's tone was quiet but you could hear the annoyance in his voice.

"It was obvious how you each felt about her," Kyle couldn't help but lash out. _She was innocent all along._ "You all used her for your own _benefits_."

Max didn't like the way he said 'benefits' and he scowled at Kyle.

"How were we supposed to know she hadn't betrayed us? She admitted it." Michael uncrossed his arms. "You were the one who told us she was guilty."

"If you hadn't come to the pod chamber that day, none of this would've ever happened." Isabel ran a hand through her hair, regretting the last comment. "Kyle," her tone was softer now.

"No, you're right." He took a shaky breathe. "I wish I could change what happened." Kyle shook his head. "She was my sister; I should've known."

"How could you?" Liz finally spoke, her tone endearing."None of us knew; none of us know now."

"Tell me when we get to the stop," Kyle turned and walked a few rows down, sitting in a seat.

Liz started to walk after him when she felt someone grab her arm.

"Let me," Isabel said softly, then moved towards Kyle.

The rest of the train ride was pretty much silent. It didn't take them long to find the building that Tess described. After entering, they stopped dead in their tracks as they looked around the shoddy room.

"She's actually staying here?" Maria questioned, kicking a piece of wood that she'd stepped on.

"What if something's happened Max?" Liz could feel the glass crunching underneath her feet.

"Wait here," Max said firmly. "I'll check upstairs."

* * *

Tess sat in the middle of the floor in indian style, trying to feel out the link that Loni had to her. Her chest began to heave as she drew in short gasps of air and sweat beads formed on her brow. Tess took a sharp breath in as she started to see images of Loni, a dark blue car, Rath, a road, and then Loni again. Tess could feel she was coming. When it was over, her body felt a little uneasy. Tess had never experienced a flash without connecting to someone first but then she thought, _maybe I did? Maybe I'm learning to make the connection go the other way._

She pushed the strands of hair that were now sticking to her forehead back and rose up from the floor. She heard the knob rattle slightly. Tess whipped around suddenly with her palm in the air as she heard the door open.

"Tess," the figure in the doorway stood rigidly.

She lowered her arm. "Hello Max."


	8. Chapter 7: Showdown

A/N: I always seem to put them up later than I plan... sorry. There is alot of people in the end of the chapter so I hope it's not too hard to follow. As always, please review and thanks for reading. :)

**Showdown**

Ava climbed through the half-boarded door, tossing the duffel bag on the floor in front of her. She'd gone out, getting odds and ends for the journey she, Tess and baby Zan would be taking. Her eyes grew wide as she looked up at the statuesque alien standing before her.

"Ava," Liz spoke as the petite girl stumbled back.

"Liz?" Ava looked at her, then back at the young woman standing before her. She sighed a breath of relief as she realized who it was. "Isabel."

"If I were you I wouldn't look so relieved," Isabel said. "I've got a few questions for you."

"I figured," Ava shrugged.

"Let's start with why Alex?" Maria stepped forward. "Why use him? Why kill him?"

"I don't know," Ava was being truthful. "I wondered the same thing and all Loni would say is Nicholas said he was the one."

"Why send him away for so long?" Liz questioned. "Why say he was in Sweden?"

"So that he could finish decoding the book quickly and away from anyone who might break him out of the mind warp," Ava paused briefly. "Leanna came up with the Sweden thing."

"I still don't understand how she's a skin," Liz was always being the scientist. "We checked her blood."

"Tess didn't explain it to you?" Ava watched Isabel shake her head no. "They're parasitic; the husk is made up of human tissue."

"Like the terminator," Kyle said enthusiastically. He continued after they turned towards him with strange looks on their faces. "You know, metal skeleton with living tissue on the outside."

Ava had a thoughtful look on her face, and then nodded. "Sort-of, except what's inside is living too."

Michael thought about Courtney and how she slipped out of one husk and into the other. "I get it, what I don't get is you."

Ava's face scrunched up as she looked back at him. "What?"

"Say Tess didn't kill Alex," Michael walked around her slowly. "You helped them set her up and now what? You're her best friend?"

"I am sorry for what I did to Tess but I was so scared of Loni and Rath," Ava was slightly intimidated by Michael but didn't show it. "I watched them kill Zan like it was nothing but Tess has forgiven me and I'm going to make it up to her."

Isabel knew what she was talking about. "You're not taking Zan anywhere?"

"Why, because he's your family?" Ava rolled her eyes. "I've seen how you treat your family Vilandra."

"That's not who I am," Isabel was fuming.

"Isn't it?" Ava spat. "You're not gonna treat Zan like that; it'll be over my dead body."

"That could be arranged," Michael said matter-of-factly.

"Stop it!" Liz stood between Ava and the other aliens, looking between them. "All of you! We all have blame in this."

"What are you saying Liz?" Maria looked at her best friend. "You believe Tess is innocent?"

"I don't know," Liz shook her head slowly. "I just don't know." She turned and walked away to the other side of the room.

* * *

Max stepped through the doorway, noticing that this room was much cleaner than the other areas of the building he'd seen. He took in Tess' demeanor; she looked unnerved and almost surprised to see him which he found a bit strange. She could usually sense him before he said a word.

"I didn't mean to startle you," Max said.

"It wasn't you who startled me," Tess rubbed her forehead. Making the connection with Loni had taken a bit out of her. "So where are the others?"

"Downstairs," Max answered.

"So what are you doing here Max?" Her tone was flip. "I told you, I don't need your help."

"I beg to differ," Max said as he looked around. His eyes fixated on the crib by the wall. Zan was moving. He was attempting to pull himself up, holding onto the sides.

Tess walked over to the crib and scooped Zan up in her arms. She looked down at the big blue eyes that stared back at her. "Do you want to hold him?" She turned to face Max.

Max walked up to her and took Zan from her arms. He held him up, looking his son over as if he couldn't believe he was actually holding him. "He's gotten big."

"He has," Tess nodded as she watched Max, who was grinning, play with Zan. "We have to go soon."

"You can't send him off with Ava," Max stated as if she were asking his permission.

"What are you going to do Max, ride around the world in a van with him?" Tess rolled her eyes. "Isabel told me about your little quest." She did not sound impressed.

"I don't trust her," Max ignored her statement.

"Well you don't trust me either," Tess paused briefly. "She'll keep him safe until I can take care of him myself. Say goodbye Max." She held her arms out to retrieve Zan. "Loni's coming."

Max looked at her, puzzled.

"It's the connection," Tess answered before he could ask. "I'm learning to make it go the other way and I have this feeling that she's coming very soon."

"Isabel said that something happened to your mind," Max said hesitantly, then exhaled a deep breath. "I was thinking, maybe I can fix it."

"Fix what?" Her eyes grew wide. "My mind? No way, absolutely not."

"If I can heal your mind then Loni wouldn't be able to track you and you wouldn't have to worry about her." Max looked down at his son then back at Tess. "Then you could take care of Zan." He walked over to the crib, placing him in it.

"I need the link so I can track her, use it to my advantage and take care of her once and for all," Tess replied.

"Not if she's coming here," Max countered. "We'll wait for her and…"

"And what?" Tess scoffed. "You don't even trust me and now you want to help me?"

"I want to help our son," Max replied. "We're on the same side where he's concerned." He didn't want to admit it but he was concerned for her too.

"How can we be on the same side when you don't believe me?" Tess rolled her eyes. "Liz," she said the name in disgust. "She tells you I killed Alex and you don't even question her."

"You admitted it," His voice rose.

"That's not the point," Tess spat, her eyes becoming slits.

"Then what is?" Max exclaimed.

"You wouldn't even hear me out," Tess was fuming. "I was your wife Max or doesn't that mean anything to you?"

"Well so is she!" Max replied then fell silent as they both heard Zan's cries.

Tess turned around and picked up Zan, hiding the hurt in her eyes. _Why do I still care so much?_ She jiggled him around until he calmed down, then placed him in the crib and handed him a toy. "You married her?" Her tone was normal now, almost soft. "Why does that surprise me?"

Neither of them spoke a word for a few minutes. The tension was so thick, you could cut it with a knife; still neither made a move to leave. After a moment, Max began to speak again.

"We were different people then," He ran a hand through his hair. "Zan and Ava, who we were… they're gone."

Tess nodded her back still towards him.

"Tess," Max wanted to say something, anything, but he couldn't find the words. There was a part of Zan that was still alive within him and that part of him still cared for Ava, still cared about her. "I want to help you ensure Zan's safety."

"Will you do something for me then?" Tess turned around to see him nod. "Take Ava and our son and get them to safety. I'll take care of the rest."

"I can't leave you to face them alone," Max replied.

"You're not obligated to me anymore," Tess gave a smirk. "I can handle it."

"I don't doubt that," Max replied. "But I'd feel better knowing you were okay and taking care of Zan instead of someone else."

"Are you okay Tess?" Ava stepped into the room.

"Yes," Tess turned towards her. "Max has agreed to take you and Zan to Estel's."

"Isn't this Estel expecting you?" Max questioned.

"Ava," Tess said, silently telling her to show Max. Ava waved her hand over her body as she transformed into an identical twin of Tess. "She'll never know the difference."

"I…" Max began but she cut him off.

"You should go," Tess picked up Zan and held him close to her. He reached up, yanking softly on one of her curls as he smiled up at her. She kissed him tenderly on his forehead. "Mommy loves you so much. I'll see you soon Zan, I promise." Tess kissed her son again, then handed him to Ava. "Max," her eyes were pleading.

"Under one condition," Max said as he stepped towards her. "You let me heal you."

* * *

"Are you okay?" Maria sat on the crate next to Liz.

Liz exhaled deeply. "No," She shook her head. "I'm not. I should be happy that Tess didn't betray all of us but I'm worried."

"About Max?" Maria had a confused look on her face. "Liz, Max loves you; you know that."

"I know he does but he was with Tess," Liz replied. "If she hadn't been set up, they might still be together."

"You don't know that," Maria rolled her eyes. "Ana anyways, he would've never slept with her if he hadn't been in such a bad place. Alex died, Isabel was leaving, Michael was being Michael and you…"

"I pushed him into her arms," Liz cut her off as she laid her head in the palm of her hand. "I know that Max loves me but he must love her too and they have a son."

"He married you," Maria replied.

"He married her too Maria," Liz retorted.

"In another life," Maria reached over to hold her hand. "He loves you in this one."

Liz froze the moment Maria touched her hand. As she gasped for air, her mind suddenly flooded with image of a man attacking Max and Liz sobbing in Maria's arms.

Michael, Kyle, and Isabel rushed over, hearing Maria calling Liz's name over and over.

Liz came out of her translucent state and looked around at the four sets of eyes that were staring at her.

"What did you see Liz?" Michael questioned.

"Someone's coming," Liz stood up quickly, her eyes threatening to fill with tears. "I think Max is going to die."

The five of them turned around quickly as the wood that was hammered across portions of the doorway were blasted inside. Immediately after Loni, Rath, Leanna and another woman entered through the hole now in the side of the wall. The four of them stood with their arms out in front of them as well as Michael, Isabel, and Liz.

Loni stood a few steps in front of her group of aliens. "Where's Tess?"

* * *

It took some convincing but Max as well as Ava finally got Tess to agree to let him heal the damage done by Loni. At first Max questioned Ava's motives for helping Tess but she explained her side and how sorry she was.

Ava told Max how alone she felt since her Zan died and how in the short time Tess and her son had become her only family and that she would d anything to set them free. He wasn't completely convinced but decided to give her the benefit of the doubt and take her at her word.

Max was now standing in front of Tess. He put his hands around her head, leaving about two inches of space between them and her. He stared at her intensely; his breathing slowing as she lightly closed her eyes and let her defenses down.

Max concentrated deeply, feeling out the damage that had been done as he started to heal it. His mind begun to experience flashes of her past life first: Ava as a small child running through a field of indigo colored grass, her diving off of Dimaras Rock into the red water below, their wedding, and finally her death.

His eyes felt heavy as he delved deeper into her mind. Soon more flashes came: Tess breaking out of the pod and finding them gone, the first time she saw him in this life, what happened in New York between her and Loni, them making love, and a pregnant Tess flying off in the granilith seeing Liz already in his arms. He could feel all of her emotions as he healed her.

His heart began to beat faster as he finished the healing process. Still more visions clouded him: Tess arriving on Antar, the birth of Zan, Kivar attacking her, her escape, a kind woman who took care of her and finally finding Zan. It had taken maybe a minute but with all he had seen, it felt like hours.

Max stepped back as the connection ceased, his breathing labored as he steadied himself against the couch. Tess felt an immediate relief after Max was done. The dull pain in her head was finally gone. She opened her eyes and noticed how uneasy he now looked.

"Are you okay Max?" The look of his face was making her nervous.

Max looked up at her; his eyes full of caring, admiration, and sorrow. "Are you okay?"

"Max, what is it?" Tess looked worried. _Had something gone wrong?_

He reached out, taking her hands into his. "I'm so sorry Tess." He'd seen everything and felt everything that she'd felt. He felt like he'd let her down. Max wished he could think of more to say to her but he couldn't seem to find the words. "I am so sorry for everything."

"Wh -What?" Tess stopped, knowing what he was talking about. She felt uncomfortably vulnerable; he'd seen all her memories, her thoughts, her feelings. She pulled her hands from his. "Don't Max." She did not want or need his sympathy.

Max just looked at her with such sadness in his eyes. _She never betrayed me. I let her down._ _What am I going to do?_

"Don't feel sorry for me," Tess took a step back. "I'm fine."

"I…" Max stopped midsentance as they heard a crash coming from downstairs.

They looked at each other for a second than dashed towards the door.

"Stay behind us with Zan," Tess ordered as they came down the stairs. She heard Loni questioning the others about her. "You want me," Tess stood in front of Isabel and Michael. "Come and get me bitch."

"Look who's all grown up," Loni gave a cold smile, and then looked to the blonde standing behind Tess. "How cute, now there's two of you."

"I bet Tess is the one wit the baby," Rath replied.

Loni placed her hand on the side of her head, tying to connect to see which one was actually Tess.

"What's wrong?" Leanna asked.

"My connection…" Loni looked angry.

"Is gone," Max was now standing next to Tess. "You won't be reading her thoughts anytime soon."

"Max, this has nothing to do with you." Loni almost laughed. "How 'bout you guys go back to Mayberry and let us grownups talk. Tana," she looked at the other woman with them. "Get the baby."

"I've had enough talking," Tess blasted Loni to the ground. "You will never touch my son."

Rath held his hand up; attempting to blast Tess but Max created a shield, sending the blast back towards the alien with the mohawk. Loni threw a ball of yellow-orange light, which seemed to be pure energy, at Liz. The impact tossed her across the room, slamming into some old crates before she crashed into the concrete floor.

"Liz!" Max blasted Loni, hitting her into the wall. He rushed to his wife's side and helped her to her feet.

Loni tried to get up but Tess stunned her back to the ground, attacking her with her powers over and over again. Tess could feel her powers getting stronger as she overpowered the reject princess. She was angry. Loni had stolen her whole life from her and she wouldn't stand idly by and let her continue to be threat to her son.

Tess felt the energy growing within her as she stood over Loni's laying body. She felt the energy building up as she saw this bright ball of white light forming in her hand. She was just about to finish Loni off when she felt something knock the wind out of her. When she looked up, she was lying on the floor and Nicholas was standing before her.

Michael got in between the two of them and blasted Nicholas but it barely moved him.

"I'm glad you kids worked it out," Nicholas replied arrogantly. "Now I can kill you at the same time, again."

"I don't think so," Tess blasted him from the ground then glanced at Michael. They attacked him at the same time, knocking him to the floor this time. He tried to fight back but Tess and Michael were relentless.

Loni had risen from the ground and shot an energy ball at her look-alike. Isabel fought back and they each exchanged blast but they seemed to offset on another.

Nicholas got up and smiled, seeing Rath behind them. He had run to the tiny room and pulled Ava, along with the baby out in the open.

"We're just gonna take the kid and go," Nicholas said, alerting them to what had taken place.

Ava looked at Tess, and then their eyes darted to Rath and back to each other .Tess nodded slightly as Ava jerked back and kicked Rath away from her. Tess blasted him from across the room as Ava squatted to the floor and created a protective green bubble around her and baby Zan. Rath tried to attack but he felt a shock from the force field that was now surrounding them.

Loni threw her arm to the side, slamming Isabel into the wall. She dashed towards Tess and blasted the petite blonde in he back. Tess stumbled to keep her balance and turned quickly to return the attack.

Michael and Rath were now going head to head as Leanna attacked Liz and Nicholas went after Max. Loni threw an onset of blows at Tess, hurling her to the cement floor. She winched in pain as she rolled over, facing her attacker.

Michael finally blasted Rath into the wall, all his energy bursting to the surface as the alien with the Mohawk slid to the floor unconscious.

Tess felt the energy building up in her but she knew that Loni would not give her the chance.

"It's been a real blast," Loni gave one last crocked smile before her body exploded into dust.

They all stopped, looking at the man who just blew Loni into ash. He walked over Tana's lifeless body that lay on the floor as if it were a rug.

"Who is that?" Isabel questioned as she balanced herself against the wall, her body sore from the beating she'd just taken.

Max stared at him for a moment, not remembering his face but knowing his essence. He knew immediately who it was. This was another one of his enemies; maybe even worse than Kivar. A look of disdain came across his face as he spoke the man's name, "Zsar."


	9. Chapter 8: Dust

**Dust**

Nicholas looked fearful as Zsar gave him an appraising look. Rath was still lying on the floor but he was now conscious. His eyes traveled to Max and then turned to Tess as she pushed herself up from the ground.

"Ava," Zsar smiled.

Zsar walked into the center of the room with ease. His complexion was pale and his eyes were haunting, a shade of gray that was not often found on this planet. He had an air of confidence about him and it was obvious he made the other aliens a bit unnerved.

Tess still didn't remember him but she felt like she should. She looked between him and Max, who was staring at the other alien with a fire in his eyes. "You remember him?" Her tone was surprised.

Max glanced at Tess then back at the man who now stood in front of them.

"Who is he Max?" Liz questioned, still standing next to Leanna who looked terrified of the other alien.

"Your majesty," Zsar said in a mocking manner before Max had a chance to answer Liz, returning the glare he was receiving. "You know who I am."

"I know who you are," Max said simply then turned to Tess, searching for signs that she remembered him also.

Tess nodded slightly.

"My Avalena," the pale man grinned with satisfaction. "It's really you. I'm sorry I didn't get back to Antar to protect you from Kivar."

"Have your alliances suddenly changed?" Max questioned sarcastically.

"It seems yours have," he looked to the brunette who had come to stand on the other side of Max.

"Who is he Max?" Isabel questioned.

"Always the confused princess, aren't we Vilandra?" Zsar's tone was condescending.

Michael had a scowl on his face and looked as if he were going to say something but Tess beat him to it.

"Don't call her that," her voice was commanding. "Why are you here?"

"Yes Zsar, what are you doing here?" Nicholas walked towards him. "I thought we had a deal; we get the baby and we'll bring you Tess."

"Her name is Avalena," his tone was serious.

"Avalena, Ava then," the man-child replied with a shrug. "Hey guy, you can have them both." He gestured towards Ava, still in her protective bubble with the baby.

"No one is taking anyone anywhere," Max suddenly felt very protective.

"You don't belong with them," Zsar turned towards Tess. "You belong with me."

"I'm not going anywhere," Tess said firmly.

"But Ava…" Zsar began but Max did not let him finish.

"You heard what she said," his tone was assertive.

"How concerned you seem to be about her now," Zsar looked him up and down. "Where was that concern when you sent her to Kivar?"

"Where was yours when you teamed up with him and got her killed?" Max countered.

"What is it with you skins thinking our women belong to you?" Michael crossed his arms over his chest.

"Our women?" Tess and Isabel both turned to look at him.

"Later," Michael looked between them, knowing he was going to catch hell for that when this was over. "Who the hell is this guy Maxwell?"

"Ava's ex-fiancé," Max said plainly.

"What?" Isabel ran a hand through her hair.

"It was a business arrangement," Tess said with confidence even though she had little to no memory of their relationship. Since Ava told her about him she'd tried some memory retrieval techniques but didn't come up with much.

"Is that what Zan has told you?" Zsar stepped closer to her but she backed up. "It was him who never really loved you; he doesn't love you now."

He reached for her but was stopped by the green shield Max put between him and her.

"Back up," Max annunciated both word as if alone they could both be sentences.

"Do you believe that could really stop me?" Zsar almost laughed. He rose his hand up and began wearing at Max's shield.

Michael stepped up but before he could do anything he felt a low voltage blast hit him in the chest. He turned to see two men that had entered the building, obviously skins with Zsar.

Zsar stopped abruptly, feeling he proved his point. He glanced over to the brunette standing on the other side of Max. "You're different." He looked her up and down, "Not a hybrid but not completely human."

"You stay away from my wife," Max got in between them.

"Which one?" Zsar gave a chuckle.

"Both," the word was out of his mouth before he thought about it.

Liz paid no attention, instead looking back at the pair of gray eyes that were staring through her. They were the same eyes she'd seen in her vision when she was speaking to Maria. He was the one who attacked Max; the one who had killed him.

"Michael," she turned back to look at him. "It's him." Liz wondered how she didn't realize it earlier but the vision had been so fast and then the Skins arrived just as quickly.

"The Royal Four," Zsar shook his head. "It's almost funny."

Tess had had enough of his arrogance. "What do you want?" She squinted her eyes at him, irritated.

"You," he answered simply. "Kivar has agreed to reinstate you as queen."

"In name only," Nicholas added, "provided you give us the child."

"You want my baby?" Tess looked at them both like they were insane. "I'm not letting Kivar kill my child."

"No one's taking Zan," Max replied.

"Kivar has decided against killing him now," Nicholas said matter-of-factly. "Zsar has made a deal and we will honor that."

"Well Zsar does not speak for me or my son," Tess spat, moving closer to where Ava stood with the baby. "And if anyone comes near him, I will kill you!"

"Avalena," Zsar's tone was calm. "Do what Nicholas says, otherwise they'll just take him and kill as many of you as they can."

"Let them try," Tess glanced at Ava.

"I can weaken the force field she has created," Zsar gave her a wicked smile. "Please don't make me."

Ava let the shield down just long enough for Tess to step inside and hold the barrier with her.

"I'm sorry you have to die again my love," Zsar said in a sympathetic tone and quickly shot an energy bolt at the bubble surrounding them.

Max blasted Zsar backwards into a wooden beam, his body breaking through it as if it were a twig.

Within a few moments the fighting had broken out again but this time they were slightly outnumbered.

Nicholas was concentrating on the force field that Tess and Ava were maintaining around baby Zan. It continued to shock him but he was persistent in his attacking, knowing that eventually he would be able to get in.

Leanna blasted Liz with an energy ball, smacking her into the brick wall that was behind her. She stumbled, falling onto her hands and knees. As she began to get up, the blonde alien blasted her again, slamming her body into the floor.

"Liz!" Max tried to blast Leanna in the back but missed as he was stung in his own back by Zsar.

Michael turned just as Leanna was standing over Liz. "Stay down Liz!" he yelled as be broke the window out behind her.

The shards of glass flew inside, cutting the enemy alien all over her body as she fell to the floor in agony.

One of the skins who entered with Zsar blasted Michael across the room. He quickly rose to his feet and returned the attack. The two of them were soon ensued in their own fight.

Rath propelled an energy ball towards Isabel but she dashed out of the way. She turned and flung her arm to the side, knocking Michael's dupe away from her.

The other skin attacked Isabel with a stream of small but painful bright yellow balls of light. Soon the other unknown skin was attacking Isabel from the other side and after she could take no more, her body fell with a thump against the concrete floor.

Zsar and Max continuously exchanged blows but it was no mystery who was winning. Max had numerous cuts as well as burns but Zsar hardly had a scratch on him. The pale alien launched what seemed liked lighting at the alien king but he deferred them with his shield. He returned the attack with a stream of energy balls but Zsar avoided them.

Liz finally rises from the floor, her body bruised and beaten, as she makes her way to her sister in law. She's weak but she manages to force some energy to the surface and blast both the skins looming over Isabel before collapsing to the floor.

"Liz," Isabel crawls to her body. "Liz, get up."

Max turns as he hears Isabel calling his wife's name. Zsar uses the distraction and thrusting a stream of blue energy from his hand and entraps Max in the flow. He raises the beam, as well as the young man trapped inside of it, up against the wall causing Max's body to hover a few feet off the ground.

Michael, who's been knocked to the floor by Rath, blasts his mirror image from the ground. He attacks him with a strong flow of energy balls and Rath is knocked out of the broken window. He rushes to help Max but Nicholas intervenes, tossing Michael across the room.

"I have to do something," Tess turned to Ava then back at Max and Zsar.

"You have to protect your son," Ava gave her a half smile. Her mind went to the conversation they'd had before Max and all the others arrived there.

"_What will you do after you defeat Loni?" Ava asked while packing their things._

"_I don't know," Tess shrugged. "Be normal for a change I guess." She paused thoughtfully. "All I ever wanted was to find out where I belong but when I went to Antar I found out I didn't belong there either."_

"_So you think you belong here?" Ava questioned, sitting down next to her._

"_Not really but I want Zan to feel like he belongs," Tess looked down at her son's face. "In a way I envy Max, Michael and Isabel."_

"_Okay," Ava gave her an inquisitive look. It was a strange comment coming from Tess._

"_They got to figure out who they are without worrying about who they were; I never had that luxury." She elaborated. "Everyone in my life has been in it because of who I was before but I'm not exactly her. It can be…"_

"_Suffocating," Ava continued for her. "You want to be free." It was almost a question._

_Tess nodded. "I just want to make sure that my son is; I want him to have peace of mind."_

Tess and Ava looked at each other, each knowing what the other was thinking. They let the force field come down.

Michael watched as the two skins approached Isabel and Liz from behind. He held his arm up and shook the beam above them. The building rattled slightly as he concentrated on loosing it. After one last surge of power, the beam came crashing to floor below, smashing both skins into nothing but a moss colored dust.

At that precise moment, Zsar had just released the huge ball of energy that had been forming in his hand. He shot it at his adversary who was still pinned to the wall from the stream that engulfed him.

"No!" the petite blonde screamed as she dove into the blue light and Max dropped to the floor. The energy ball hit her instead, slamming her body into the wall before she slid down to the cold concrete below.

"Tess!" Max hurried to her side.

Zsar stands dumb founded; his face whiter than before. "My Avalena," his voice was barely above a whisper.

"Oh my god," Liz said as Isabel helps her up, repeating the sentiment.

Kyle runs out of the tiny room followed by Maria. He runs to be at her side and Maria makes her way to Michael and then to Liz who turns to hug her.

"It's gonna be okay," Max hovers over her. "Look at me Tess."

"Ava," Zsar calls in an almost breathless tone.

Max could sense him coming from behind. He could feel his body filling with rage and his blood felt like it was boiling. He'd never been as angry as he was in that very moment. His body was overflowing with an intensity he never experienced before. This was primal, this was powerful, this was alien.

He turned back and let his hand connect with Zsar's chest. Everything he was feeling, all the power that he felt flowing within him he let burst to the surface in a stream of fiery energy that blew Zsar into a gray mist in a matter of seconds.

"Wow," Nicholas said quietly to himself before swiftly disappearing through the hole in the wall.

No on noticed.

Max let his focus return to the female hybrid with the gaping wound in her abdomen. He placed his hand over it and cradled her head with the other hand so she could look at him. He concentrated deeply, willing himself to heal her but nothing happened.

He took a deep breath in as the others looked on, silently praying for this to work. Max tried to focus harder, and spreading his hand across her stomach, he tried again; Still nothing.

"C'mon Tess," Max went to place his hand over the wound again when he felt her hand grab his.

"Not even you can save me from this," she tried to force a smile through the pain. "It's okay."

"No," Max shook his head, fighting back tears. He regretted not knowing the truth sooner and now it was too late.

Her twin kneeled down next to her with Zan in her arms.

"I will cherish every moment with you." She reached out to brush his small hand. "Now you'll keep him safe." Her chest was becoming tighter.

"Tess…" Kyle was at a loss for words.

"I know," She looked back at Max who was now holding her hand.

Kyle leaned over and gave her a soft kiss on her forehead. "You will always be my sister."

"I'm so sorry for not protecting you from this," Max paused briefly. "I…"

"Shh," She said breathlessly, her eyes traveling over all of them, then back to Zan and then Max. "My Zan," Max's face was the last thing she saw before the darkness crept in. "It doesn't hurt anymore."

"Tess…"

"The-They're," it had become almost impossible for her to speak now but she had to tell them what she was sensing. "They're," her chest heaved up and down, air coming through her words. "They're …coming."

"Who is?" Max questioned. "Tess."

Her eyes rolled upwards, revealing only the whites as her head fell to the side. And just like that, she was gone.

Liz put her hand on Max's shoulder but he did not move. He stared at the body in silence until all that was left of the hand he'd been holding was dust.

* * *

A/N: Please don't shoot me! I know you are all like "what the?" but things aren't always as they seem. The epilogue should be up either tomorrow or Wednesday so bear with me :)


	10. Epilogue

**Epilogue**

Liz rolled over sleepily and felt the space next to her in bed was empty. She opened her eyes to find Max looking out of the window at the horizon. It had been four months since they left New York. Four months since the battle that had taken a friend's life.

Before when Tess was thought to be dead Liz felt relief, but this time was different. This time she felt sadden by the loss and a bit guilty for the role she played in "outing" Tess as Alex's killer. They all felt guilty.

"Hey," Liz said as she came behind him, wrapping her arms around his waist.

"Hey," he bent down to kiss her. "It's beautiful here."

"Yes it is," her latest vision had brought them to Canada. "Couldn't sleep?" Liz already knew the answer before she saw him nod.

"I keep having these dreams," Max replied. "I keep going over it in my mind; I should've been able to save her."

"You tried Max," Liz looked at him with comfort in her eyes.

"I wish I knew what she was trying to tell me," Max took a deep breath in.

"Me too," Liz paused briefly. "Maybe she made a mistake, maybe the worst really is over."

"Maybe," Max said convincingly even though he wasn't sure he was convinced. "I hope so, for our sakes and for Zan's." He was still unsure about his decision to let Ava take his son but with Tess' dying breath she told her to take care of him. _After everything she'd been through, how could I deny her that? And she'd been right, I couldn't raise him on the run in a van._

"You did the right thing," Liz said reassuringly, knowing what he was thinking.

"Thank you," Max smiled at her, his thoughts still with his son. "Let's get the others; we still have a vision to solve."

* * *

…_they're coming…_

The young blonde awoke with a startle. She rose from the couch and immediately checked the car-bed that was located near the window. With all she'd been through, she had become more cautious.

"Zan," she called out when she realized the bed was empty. "Zan," her calls continued as she hurriedly came down the hallway.

"He's in here," a familiar woman's voiced echoed to her. "We didn't want to disturb your nap so he's helping me cook, aren't you?" The woman bent over and lightly pinched his cheek.

"Mommy," Zan waddled over to her, holding his arms above his head.

"Hey big boy," Tess scooped her child up in her arms. "Are you helping Auntie Estel cook?"

Zan nodded with a big grin on his face. "Down," he squirmed slightly. "Down."

"Okay," Tess returned him to the floor and walked over to the refrigerator, retrieving a soda.

"Are you okay?" Estel asked in concern, noticing a strange look on her face.

"Yeah," Tess pulled out a stool from the kitchen counter. "I was dreaming about my sister."

"I didn't know you had one," She was surprised how little she still knew about Tess' past or her family.

"My twin," _sort of, _she thought as she began emptying sugar packets into the bottle of soda. "She sacrificed everything for me and my son to get away." She had told Estel only bits of info on what happened to her while she was gone, sans all the alien details.

"Why don't you call her dear?" Estel continued stirring a big spoon around the pot.

"She died," Tess replied solemnly.

"I'm so sorry to hear that," Estel put the spoon to the side and came around the counter to sit next to her.

"She went on her own terms though," she gave a half smile, remembering how Ava managed to create a mental link before she passed.

"_Tess, can you hear me?" Ava's voice echoed through her mind._

_Tess blinked, kneeling down next to where her body was laying. "What have you done Ava?" The question was only in her mind but somehow Ava could hear her._

"_I've kept my promise to you," Ava let her thoughts enter Tess' mind. "Now you can be free and I can be with my Zan." She took a labored breath and then said out loud, "My Zan."_

Tess let her mind come back to the present day. "I have to get ready."

"You really like him, don't you?" Estel smiled warmly. "I remember when I was your age."

"He's the first guy who's ever liked me for who I am now," Tess returned the smile.

Estel just nodded. Sometimes things that Tess said were lost on her but for some reason she felt a maternal bond to her.

She hopped off the stool and took Zan by the hand. "Do you want to help Mommy get ready?"

"Yea," Zan smiled up at his mother and gave a giggle as she led him to her room.

She sat Zan on the chair next to the mirror and flicked her wrist, closing the door. "Should we do curly, straight, or leave it wavy?" She waved her hand, demonstrating each look while Zan clapped and laughed. "Wavy it is."

Tess sometimes questioned her decision to let them all believe she was dead but in the end, she felt it was for the best. _Max would have left Liz to be with me out of some sense of responsibility and still pined for her or I would've constantly been the third wheel in their relationship?_ And three people in a relationship was no longer something she would settle for.

For the first time in her life, this life, Tess was truly happy. Through everything she had been through, all these dreams and nightmares, she finally found what she was looking for. Tess had finally found some peace and she was finally home.


End file.
